


Toy Swords and Saltwater Kisses

by WolfBrigade



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Drama & Romance, F/F, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-16 22:12:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1363573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfBrigade/pseuds/WolfBrigade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pirates aren’t warm, or kind, or beautiful. Elsa is experienced in capturing them and she knows all of this to be true. So why does the chipper yet surprisingly dangerous Summer Princess have to be the one to make her think otherwise? Elsanna, non-incest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own none of the Disney characters who happen to wander into this story

The letter from Governor Weselton reaches Elsa's commanding officer only weeks after it's sent. In it, he bemoans that the waters around the Southern Isles are teeming with pirates. One in particular stands out to him—a woman calling herself the Summer Princess (a ridiculously childish name for a pirate in Elsa's opinion). According to the governor, she has been causing chaos on his islands, jumping from one to another with ease.

The navy ships stationed in the area haven't been able to slow her down in the slightest. In fact, she's attacked them too, as embarrassing as that is. If it were up to Elsa, this pirate would be at the bottom of the ocean after only a short, effortless struggle.

That's why she knows of the letter, in fact.

"You are to sail to the Southern Isles," her commander says in no uncertain terms, "and deal with the threat. We have vested interest in the goods that come out of the area."

Elsa nods without hesitation though inside she is mildly annoyed. The Northern Isles are _her_ place. They are cold and distant and isolated and everything she loves.

(She fails to see any resemblance between them and herself. Her crew, on the other hand, finds it strangely ironic that their captain is as freezing as the waters they sail in.)

Point being, that's where she's been her whole life. And now she had to go to someplace warm and sunny and dazzling because of the incompetence of others.

Sometimes it's a curse to be so good at your job.

* * *

The journey south is uneventful except that Elsa has to start shedding a different article of clothing each day due to the insufferable heat. The first casualty is her thick wool jacket, followed by her stockings, then the turquoise gloves she's so fond of. Soon she's wearing nothing but her perfectly polished boots, a thin pair of trousers, and a sleeveless white top. Her sailors seem to be gazing at her much more than usual but she when she asks them what the problem is, they scramble back to work.

She squints into the horizon, a frown forming on her face. Was the rest of the world always so _bright_? She's happy with the meager week or two of sunlight the north was granted—anything more is just plain unusual.

Her crew seems equally distressed by the change in the weather. Olaf is especially affected, sweating buckets all over her recently scrubbed deck.

She orders him to scrub it again for good measure.

* * *

She's granted an audience with the governor straight away. The man is short, nervous, and sporting the fakest hairpiece Elsa's ever laid eyes on. He is going on about all the shipments that have been seized by the Princess and how investors are starting to move their money to other, safer islands. It's all very boring and Elsa wishes for the hundredth time that she was back on her ship and from this small and annoying man.

"…so you see that it is imperative she be killed!" Governor Weselton stops himself, out of breath. After taking a moment to suck in some air he continues on, face red and puffy. "I don't care how many people are hurt, just as long as she is done away with and business returns to normal!"

Elsa raises an eyebrow, unimpressed.

The governor claps a hand over his mouth at his outburst. "Did I say that out loud?" he asks meekly.

God, does she hate dealing with bureaucrats.

* * *

Elsa takes a tour of the island, courtesy of the governor. She thinks it's a ploy to distract her from his frequent, consistently embarrassing gaffes. Not like she would forget them. Actually, she might draw upon them when she needs a good laugh.

It's a wonder he's been reelected so many times. Elsa suspects vote-rigging.

Still, the island is rather nice. Nothing like her precious Northern Isles with their glaciers and rugged mountains and snow storms. This island has beaches that people actually seem to enjoy using for activities other than ice fishing. The fruits growing along the roads are sweet and refreshing. The people are a little too friendly for her liking but for the most part they seem like good and honest folk.

When she goes to the port, she gauges the attitudes of those on the merchant ships. Most seem nervous to be on the sea due to the Princess. She manages to find a few who have seen her and they eagerly tell their stories.

Haldor Oaken, the burly captain of _The_ _Wanderer_ , is the first she speaks to. "The Summer Princess? I had a very odd encounter with her." Oaken must be from up north as well, judging by the thick wool sweater he wears despite the heat. He pulls at its collar absentmindedly as he continues, "She and her crew boarded my ship. They were all very good fighters, you see, and we surrendered quickly. But all she took was our lutefisk. That is strange, yeah? What kind of pirate only takes the lutefisk?"

The rather shady Jacob and Wilhelm Stabbington brothers are the next merchants she speaks to. The one with the impressive mutton chops goes first, a grimace settling on his scarred face. "Yeah, I know her. Bitch seized all our rum. We were gonna make a huge profit on the load but we lost it all to someone who calls herself a 'princess'." He hawks up a glob of saliva and spits next to his feet to show his disgust at the situation.

His brother rubs at the irritated skin under his eyepatch before nodding in agreement. "I've never seen anything like it. She just disarmed us without killin' nobody, took our booze, and left with a smile on her face. The last person who screwed us over that bad was that brown-haired poncy boy. Remember him, Wilhelm?"

Elsa leaves the siblings to their dark grumblings and makes her way to her own ship, tired and with a renewed interest in meeting (and imprisoning) this pirate.

* * *

Her plan is relatively simple and her commanding officer agrees to it easily enough. Her crew would hoist plain white sails on the ship and hide all traces that it was a naval vessel. The seamen stationed throughout the Southern Isles were to spread rumors of the bounty on her ship, that it was stocked full of rum and lutefisk along with precious jewels. She would follow the last known route the Princess was seen on. Eventually, they were bound to cross paths.

When they did, Elsa planned on taking the pirate's ship for herself and using it as leverage to go back to her home islands. She had recently acquired her first sunburn and decided she would be pleased to never see that damn ball of fire again unless it was obscured behind heavy gray snow clouds.

* * *

Weeks pass by. Elsa begins to grow tired of traveling back and forth along the same stretch of sea. Her wretched sunburn is starting to peel and her crew is moving at a sluggish pace. If the Princess isn't going to fall into her trap, she'll have to start thinking of a different approach. Elsa purses her lips at the thought—her plans always worked.

That night, she remembers going to bed in a foul mood and waking up to the sound of shouting and gunfire. The sun is just starting to creep past the horizon when the Princess' crew disabled the rudder of Elsa's ship and began to board.

Elsa scrambles out of bed, tugging on a pair of pants and tying her long hair into its usual bun. Her cutlass is in her hand and she is out of her cabin in less than a minute.

She immediately sees that the situation is not in her favor—it seems like half of her weary crew have already surrendered and the pirates are already starting to make their way into the holds of the ship. Too bad they won't find anything except empty crates.

Elsa disarms the nearest pirate with a quick flick of her wrist, sending his sword into the air. The blond haired man looks at her with wide eyes and slowly raises his hands. "Where's your captain?" she demands, sword to his throat. If she could get the Princess to surrender, her crew would surely follow.

He swallows and his light eyes search through the chaos on the ship. Seemingly heedless of the blade near his jugular, he takes in a deep breath. "ANNA!" he shouts over the noise.

The other pirates seem to pause for a moment before continuing their own fights. Somewhere beyond her immediate vision, a clear and melodic voice answers back, "Kristoff?!" Soon people begin to part and the owner of the voice comes into view.

This… _this_ is the Summer Princess?

She's a young woman wearing a pair of beige trousers and a white shirt with billowy sleeves. A black and green embroidered vest is buttoned tightly over the shirt, showing off her slender figure. Her silky strawberry blonde hair is meticulously tied in two braids and her _face_. Elsa doesn't think she's ever seen a face so pretty. As she comes closer, Elsa can see that her eyes are a bright and unabashed cerulean and a spatter of freckles runs across the smooth skin of her nose and cheekbones. Despite the fact that Elsa still has her sword to this Kristoff fellow's neck, there's a full grin on the woman's face and she seems perfectly unconcerned for his life.

"Did you call me?" she questions the man, the sword in her hand nearly twitching with energy. She hasn't acknowledged Elsa yet, which leaves her feeling slightly miffed.

"Y-yeah," he says, trying to inch away from Elsa's hold on him. "I think she wants to fight you."

The Princess—Anna—quickly scans Elsa from head to toe before positively _beaming_ at her. This reaction is unsettling. Elsa's enemies might scream or run from her in terror but they have never smiled at her. Especially in such a way that makes their eyes sparkle.

Wait, what?

Elsa mentally shakes herself out of her reverie. She could appreciate Anna's beauty at a later time (as in _never_ ), but right now she has a pirate to bring in. She shoves Kristoff aside and readies her sword.

Anna does the same, the smile never leaving her face. "So, what's your name?" she asks, not moving a muscle.

Elsa narrows her eyes. "Why should I tell you?" she growls before lunging at the other woman.

Anna lets out a cheery laugh and blocks Elsa's sword with ease before returning an attack almost lazily. Elsa swipes her sword to the side and Anna skips a few steps back. "I'm just curious. Since Kristoff was yelling it in your ear, I know you heard mine."

Elsa moves in again, intent on slicing the woman's sword arm. Anna moves just enough to avoid her blade and continues talking as if they were having tea together. "Oh! I got it! If I beat you, you have to tell me your name. Does that sound fair?"

"Stop distracting me!" Elsa yells, frustrated. She lunges forward again, sending a volley of potential strikes at her opponent. Anna blocks them all, hardly looking winded, but at least she's shut up.

The longer they fight, the more Elsa is able to take in Anna's fighting style, or lack thereof. Her movements are like nothing Elsa's ever seen before. One moment she appears to be stumbling headlong into Elsa's sword and the next she twirls around it gracefully, safely out of harm's way. It's a strange dance that's only one wrong step away from injury or worse.

Throughout the fight, Elsa sees something in her, something that goes deeper than the cheery smile and mischievous glint in her eyes. There a sort of fierce happiness flowing throughout all of her movements, as if she's born to swing her sword just so, as if this single fight is her reason for existing.

At some point, Elsa realizes she's paying more attention to the owner of the sword than the sword itself. Before she can right this grievous error, Anna closes the gap between them until she's just a breath away. It's uncomfortably close and Elsa can feel the woman's breath against her cheeks.

Her sword is wrenched from her hand and Anna takes a step back and rattles it in front of her teasingly. "So, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," Elsa responds through gritted teeth. She's in shock, internally stewing in embarrassment. That is the first time in recent memory she's been disarmed. Anna hardly looks like she worked up a sweat doing it, which is all the more infuriating.

Anna cocks her head in consideration. "That's too bad," she says before spinning around and holding Elsa's sword overhead. "Everyone!" she calls out. "The captain of this vessel has surrendered. Do the same or prepare to die."

All around her, Elsa's crew looks shocked but those who still have their weapons quickly discard them while the pirates hoot and cheer. Elsa can feel her cheeks burning in shame but she still holds her head high.

A beautiful pirate with thick black hair and tan skin comes towards Anna, a scowl cutting across her face. "I've got some bad news, Captain," she says in a low voice. "There's nothing in the cargo hold. _Nothing_. Maybe someone else got to them first. What should we do?"

For the first time since Elsa's seen her, the smile on Anna's face disappears while she thinks. Her sharp eyes take in everything around her before landing on Elsa herself. The grin quickly comes back. "We can take the captain!" she announces, proud of her solution. "She'll do well for collateral, I'm sure."

Elsa chokes back her anger, knowing any protest might get her into trouble. If the Summer Princess could disarm her with so little effort, she probably wouldn't consider killing her or her crew to be much of a hassle.

The pirate woman nods in agreement. "Good thinking. Would you like me to take her to the brig?"

"Yes, please!" Anna chirps. She turns her attention to Elsa. "Sorry about this," she says, looking completely unapologetic. "It's just how these things go."

Elsa heaves a heavy sigh but somehow doesn't find herself to be terrified at the prospect of being a prisoner. Instead, when she's led across the gangplank and onto Anna's ship, she finds herself looking backwards. Not at her own men but to Anna, who's enthusiastically shaking the hands of Elsa's crew, much to their bewilderment.

There are worse things than being the captive of the Summer Princess, Elsa surmises. But that doesn't mean she's given up. At heart she is an officer of the navy and she still intends to bring down this intriguing woman, no matter how charming and skilled with a sword she may be.

The sooner she captures the Princess, the sooner she can go back to her orderly life in the north. After all, she hates the Southern Isles. They are warm and sunny and dazzling and everything she isn't.

(She doesn't fail to see the resemblance between them and Anna, which makes her dislike them all the more.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is that a Pirates of the Caribbean quote I see? Pshh…maybe.

The brig is much more spacious than it has any right to be. Elsa surveys the cell she's unceremoniously pushed into as metal door swings shut behind her. The cot is surprisingly large and a mirror hangs crookedly on the far wall next to a porthole. Elsa peers out the porthole and sees her ship (or rather _former_ ship). The sight is enough to make her clench her hands into fists and curse that stupidly pretty pirate for her current situation.

That's what really rankles her. Maybe it's just because there's many more men in the navy than women, but no one was ever attractive enough to grab and hold Elsa's attention for more than a moment. It's like the pirate knew all the ways to push buttons Elsa's not even aware she has.

(Like the way her pants hugged her slender legs, the relaxed smile on her face, those freckles and those _eyes_ …)

Ridiculous. Thinking about this is ridiculous and a waste of time, Elsa knows. She moves away from the porthole and sits on the cot, stewing.

She stews for the next few hours before moving to lie down. She stews until her eyes grow heavy and the motion of the waves lull her off to sleep.

* * *

The next day she wakes up to the sound of someone banging against her cell. Elsa raises her head and squints tiredly at the source of the noise. Her eyes widen when she sees Anna. She is wearing a pair of black breeches that stop just below her knees. A man's shirt of green silk hangs loosely on her frame all the way down to mid-thigh. The sleeves are rolled up to her elbows, revealing lightly tanned forearms. Her strawberry blonde hair, free from its braids, flows down her back.

Oh, and Kristoff is there too, a mangy, brown-furred dog making serpentine trails between his legs.

Anna hops on top of a nearby crate and her bare feet dangle above the ground. "Um, hi," she says rather uncertainly, as if unused to conversing with her prisoners. "You hungry?"

Kristoff slides a tray through the slot in the cell's door. The dog sniffs at it hopefully. "No, Sven!" he says sternly. "There's beans, a couple of sea biscuits, and some lutefisk," he informs Elsa with considerable effort, now that the dog is practically crawling on top of him to get at the food. She gets up and reluctantly takes the tray from him. "Oh, and some rum."

He's about to pass her a flask when Anna snaps her fingers to get his attention. "Hey! That's mine. We can't have an inebriated prisoner." Kristoff rolls his eyes and tosses her the flask. She snatches it out of the air, giving him a mock glare. Unscrewing the lid, she tilts her head back and takes a swig. A happy sigh escapes her and she smacks her lips.

Elsa bites her tongue and refrains from informing Anna that it's far too early to be consuming alcohol. Instead, she takes in the sight of her on the crate, her legs swinging back and forth like a child.

"How old are you exactly?" The question slips past Elsa's lips before she can stop it. She curses herself for asking—it's hard to remember that this is a fierce pirate who can kill her in an instant.

Kristoff half-heartedly attempts to smother his laughter, only stopping when Anna kicks him from behind. Sven huffs in what sounds like amusement. Anna sets down the flask and gives Elsa a considering look and an almost arrogant tilt of the chin. "Old enough to capture you. Or would you prefer that I be some young girl in need of your guidance?"

Elsa grits her teeth and valiantly tries to avoid snapping at her, but she's angry and the words come spilling out. "Maybe you do need some guidance. A girl like you must not have had a very good upbringing if this is the life you chose."

There's a moment when Elsa swears she sees Anna wince but it's over too quickly to tell. Anna's mouth screws up in thought and after a moment she says, "I understand if you're not feeling too friendly towards me right now. If it's any consolation, you were probably the best opponent I've had in a while. I mean, you were better than most of the naval officers I've fought."

That makes Elsa pause. _Right_ …Anna thought she was just the captain of an unlucky merchant ship.

Anna continues, "I would totally fight you again. If…if that's alright with you. And I don't mean a fight to the _death_ or anything, just like, a normal kind of fight. With practice swords and such," she stops talking abruptly and gives Elsa an expectant look.

"Do I have a choice?" Elsa mutters. She takes a bite of her food and is pleased to find that it isn't any worse than what she was eating in the navy. She keeps her eyes focused on it so she wouldn't get caught staring at Anna. No need to let the woman know she could disarm her with both a sword _and_ a smile.

"Of course you have a choice!" Anna says, sounding surprised. "I just thought you'd want fresh air at some point. It's a long way to Swann Cove." Elsa jerks her head up and Kristoff shoots Anna a look. The pirate puts a hand over her mouth. "Oops, I don't think I was supposed to say that."

Kristoff waves his hands in front of Elsa, making vague gestures in the air. "You didn't hear that. We're going somewhere… _else_."

Anna slides off the crate and pats Kristoff on the shoulder. "I think she bought it," she says, and Elsa can't tell if she's joking or not. "Now let's get some work done." Before the two walk away, Anna turns to Elsa. "Seriously, let me know if you want to fight at all. We can do it on the main deck." With that, she waves and strolls out of the brig, Kristoff and Sven right behind her.

Elsa finishes her food slowly before laying down on her cot and beginning to think. Swann Cove…that was a Summerland territory. She knew none of her navy would be stationed there but she might be able to find some other form of help on the island. Of course, she'd have to be off the ship for that to happen.

These fights Anna wants to have…they might work out in her favor. The woman seemed like she was a little too trusting and open, which was something Elsa could use to her advantage.

Plus, she _really_ wanted to fight Anna again. It must have been a fluke that she was beaten.

* * *

It wasn't a fluke.

That's the unfortunate truth she learns four days later, when she finally decides she's ready to go against Anna again. During those days, she thought hard about the moves the pirate used against her, the way her sword seemed like a deadly extension of her arm and how her footwork was somehow simultaneously clumsy and graceful. She closed her eyes and for hours imagined the fight from all possible angles, what moves she should have taken and where Anna's weaknesses might lie.

Elsa was confident that she had Anna all figured out.

(She was wrong. Oh so wrong.)

The two of them were now on the main deck, surrounded by most of the crew. They're watching with a sort of detached interest, as if they already know what the outcome will be. Esmeralda, the woman who had thrown her in the brig on her first day, has her hands on her hips and is smirking as if she knows there's no possible way Elsa will win.

But Elsa's not paying attention to them, not really. She's focusing on Anna. The Summer Princess is standing across from her, sword at the ready. She makes the first move and Elsa quickly blocks it, their dull blades clanging against one another.

Anna smiles encouragingly and moves to strike again. This time she fakes a high strike and ducks underneath Elsa's sword, which is slicing diagonally upwards through empty air. Anna comes up only inches away, her breath warm on Elsa's face. "Again?" she asks excitedly, reminding Elsa of a puppy.

"Fine," Elsa nods, stepping back to allow some much-needed space between the two of them. After she has her heart rate back under control, she attacks first.

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter whether Anna is on the defensive or is the one attacking—she's always one step ahead of Elsa. Her moves are wildly unpredictable and some look downright dangerous to pull off (was that somersault _really_ necessary?).

Once, Anna shines the sun's reflection off her sword, blinding Elsa and causing her to turn her head away. In that single second, Elsa finds herself on her back. Anna had somehow tackled her to the ground and was pressing her body against Elsa's in _very uncomfortable places_.

Elsa ignores the heat coming to her cheeks. "You cheated," she says accusingly. She shifts slightly, hoping Anna will get the hint and get off of her.

Instead, Anna simply shrugs in an unconcerned manner. "Pirate," is her one word defense. They stay in that position for a few silent moments, and _Anna's knee is still between her legs_. It takes the hooting of the crew for Anna to blink in surprise and move off and away. "I'm sorry!" she rushes, offering her hand to Elsa.

Elsa hesitates for a moment before taking the hand and hauling herself up. What feels like a jolt of warmth goes through her, starting from Anna's hand and going up her own until it hits her chest. Elsa quickly drops the pirate's hand, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Anna rubbing at her own palm, like maybe she felt it too.

Anna clears her throat. "Let's take a break," she directs towards Elsa. Her voice becomes louder and more authoritative as she turns to her crew. "As for you guys, get back to work! I want to be at Kanoa by sunup tomorrow." They disperse quickly, but not before Elsa sees Kristoff staring between her and Anna, his eyebrow raised in suspicion. He shrugs to himself and goes about his duties, Sven trotting alongside him.

Elsa takes a seat near the railing and fusses with her hair. A few pale blonde strands had come loose from the fighting and she pushes them back into her bun. Anna sits down next to her, looking perfectly relaxed and not even breathing hard.

"How are you doing this?" Elsa wants to know, disbelief clear in her voice. She knows for a _fact_ that she's one of the best swords in the navy—she's beaten all of her subordinates in mock fights as well as most of the other officers she's faced. For god's sake, she's gotten _medals_ for her skills in battle. And then some previously unknown pirate comes along and beats her with an ease that's simply infuriating. For the hundredth time that day, she counts her lucky stars that Anna doesn't appear to be bloodthirsty. No one would be able to stand in her way.

Anna mulls the question over and shrugs. "I was taught by the castle's swordmaster," she eventually answers. She turns fully towards Elsa and once again she's caught off guard by the vibrant color of Anna's eyes. "He's the best in the country, maybe one of the best _ever_ for all I know."

"Swordmaster?" Elsa says faintly. That certainly explained a lot. If she was personally taught by a man of such high standing, it would give her an advantage most could only dream of. Elsa follows up on the other part of Anna's statement. "What were you doing in a castle?" Castles were typically far from sea and Elsa can't imagine Anna anywhere other than a ship. _I'm already getting too familiar with her_ , she thinks wryly.

Anna toes a crack in the wood near her boots. "I used to live there," she says somewhat evasively. "I made friends with the swordmaster when I was young and he taught me everything he could."

Elsa remains silent, processing the information. She couldn't see Anna actually working for somebody else. Perhaps she was a servant's child, not bound by the orders of her parent's employers. "What castle was this?" Elsa asks, hoping to glean more about Anna's life. Not because she's actually interested (because she most certainly _isn't_ ), but because it might help to know her background when she hauls Anna in to her superiors.

A tinkling laugh escapes the pirate. "I can't tell you that," she says like it's obvious. "I have an air of mystery to maintain. No one knows where I'm from and I intend to keep it that way." She gives Elsa a broad grin and says no more.

Elsa fights a smile pulling at her own lips. She's finding Anna's smiles and grins and laughs becoming more and more contagious. Eventually she might succumb to them, and she certainly can't have that happen. So she bites the inside of her cheek until the urge passes and tries another course of interrogation. "Then can you at least tell me what's at this 'Kanoa' place? I've never heard of it."

"We always stop there on the way to or from Swann Cove. It's…kind of a special place to me." Anna admits quietly. A cloud of somberness seems to appear over her and she clutches tightly at the sword in her hand.

There's a knot in Elsa's stomach when she sees that Anna's not immediately bouncing back to her usual happy self. As much as she doesn't want to care, she feels guilty for causing the shift in her mood. Elsa knows how absurd it is—a prisoner feeling bad for her captor—but she can't help it.

She hesitantly reaches out and her hand finds Anna's shoulder. Anna jumps slightly at the contact but otherwise stays still. The sensation Elsa felt earlier when she touched Anna's hand comes back. After a few minutes of making soothing circles against the fabric of Anna's shirt, Elsa's fingertips come dangerously close to the nape of the pirate's neck. She pulls her hand back, trying to look like she's not freaking out, and stands up and out of reach.

"I'm going back to my cell now," she says stiffly. The words sound laughable in her ears and she feels a flush coming across her face. The last thing she wants to come across as is obedient, but it's too late to rectify that.

Anna looks up at her in surprise. "Right. Your cell." She sounds like she's forgotten that she even had a prisoner, and Elsa wonders if she's the first person to be taken by the Summer Princess.

Anna lifts herself up to walk side by side with Elsa back to the brig. Elsa enters her cell and raises an eyebrow at who she finds already on her cot. "Sven," she says flatly, "kindly get off my pillow." The dog thumps his tail in response, not bothering to move any other part of his body.

"Sven!" Anna calls, some of her regular energy back in her voice. "Get out so she can get some rest." The mutt doesn't move an inch.

Sighing in defeat, Elsa contorts her body around him and looks up at Anna. "It's fine. He can stay in here with me if he wants." Sven gives a tired rumble of approval.

Anna presses a hand to her mouth at the sight but a giggle still escapes her lips. Elsa has to stop the relieved smile that wants to come onto her own face at the sound. She forces herself to remain silent and stoic looking, which is hard to do when Sven decides to push a paw into her cheek.

The cell door closes and Anna peers at her through the bars. "Could I give you a piece of advice? About your swordfighting?" she asks almost timidly.

Elsa manages a small nod, curious as to what she'll say.

Anna takes a deep breath before speaking. "Let it go," she says simply. Elsa raises an eyebrow and Anna elaborates. "Let go of all your worries and all your fears. In that moment, when it's just you and your opponent, you should feel free, not weighed down by anything. If you can do that, you can do anything." A crooked grin appears. "Trust me."

After she's gone, Elsa finds herself staring up at the ceiling, Sven snoring next to her ear.

 _Trust me._ Two words Elsa never thought she'd hear from a pirate, two words she would scoff at if it came from anyone else. But the words came from _Anna_. Did that make them any more or less valid? Anna wouldn't have said that to her if she knew about Elsa's true intentions.

_Trust me._

Elsa rolls over, frustrated. Why did her captor have to seem like such a great person? What gave her the right to have such a genuine smile, such friendly words?

As if sensing her internal struggle, Sven whines and pushes himself further against her. "Out of all the pirates in the sea," Elsa muses as she dozes off, "I had to be taken by the sweetest one."

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa rouses to the sound of the anchor being lowered overboard; they must be at Kanoa. Sven is on her cot, taking up more of it than she is. She gives a slow stretch and deep sigh, trying not to disturb her companion.

She almost finds it pathetic how quickly her thoughts venture towards Anna. Hardly awake, still blinking the sleep out of her eyes, and she's already thinking about her.

Elsa groans and drapes an arm over her face. She's known the woman for less than a _week_. This kind of fixation is unbecoming for a naval captain of her repute. She's heard the kind of talk her crew thinks she's ignorant to—talk about how 'icy' and 'cold' she is in her interactions with other people. Where was that woman now?

She needs to rid herself of this petty crush (god, that word alone brings a bitter taste to her mouth) as soon as possible. The only thing those emotions would be good for—

Elsa's breath catches in her throat. That's it. These… _feelings_ …of hers could go into her efforts of bringing the Summer Princess in. While she's never really been with a person in the most romantic of senses, she knows a few things about it from her sailors and their conversations regarding bar wenches and lonely wives. Of course, _that_ kind of talk was usually a precursor to some sordid tales about said strumpets.

Her cheeks color at the thought. Seeing as they would probably be arriving at Swann Cove in, at most, another week, it would have to be a quick romance, possibly involving a kiss or two. Elsa finds that she's rather alright with that—seeing as it would lead to her freedom, obviously—and she also knows from her crew that the easiest way to wrap a person around your finger is to have them fall for you.

Her twin goals, freeing herself and bringing the Princess in, could be met easier if Anna was more than amenable to her presence. Elsa sees the formation of a plan unfolding in her head, one that starts with a suggestive touch on and ends with her receiving a promotion to commodore.

It was foolproof, really.

* * *

She's absentmindedly running her fingers through Sven's ragged fur when Kristoff shows up at her cell.

"You kidnapped my dog," he states plainly, eyes narrowing at the sight of said pooch cuddled against Elsa, cold nose burrowed into the crook of her neck. Any adorableness Anna apparently saw between Elsa and Sven is lost on Kristoff. Instead, he almost looks…jealous?

"I assure you, it wasn't intentional." Elsa responds dryly.

She removes her hand from Sven and Kristoff seems to relax slightly. "Good," he says. "Anna wanted me to tell you that we've reached Kanoa. She said that you could come ashore if you promise you won't kill anyone."

Elsa looks at him skeptically. "Anna said that?" It certainly didn't sound like her. Elsa finds the implied suspicion displeasing (the irony is lost on her); she most assuredly doesn't have any malevolent designs on the crew and for Anna to even think that—

"Well," he amends, interrupting her thoughts, "I added the last part but I figured it was important. Not all of us have the fighting prowess of the captain."

Elsa smirks. "Yes, I do recall."

Kristoff's face heats up at the reminder of his own short fight with Elsa. Opening her cell, he snaps his fingers and Sven gives an aggrieved whine but slowly stretches and slinks towards Kristoff. "So, promise not to do anything funny?" he asks as he kneels down to pet his dog.

"I'll be a perfect prisoner," she promises solemnly. After all, none of the other pirates were in danger—her orders were just to bring in the Princess. She had no interest in anyone else.

She gets up from the cot and checks her reflection in the mirror. In it, she sees a slightly dirty face and wild platinum hair attempting to come free from its tight bun. Sighing, she pokes the loose strands back into place and turns to find Kristoff tapping his foot impatiently.

He escorts her out of the brig and into the blinding early morning sunlight. Elsa winces slightly but her vision adjusts and she sees what must be Kanoa off the aft of the ship. It was a small island; Elsa estimates it would only take her a few hour to complete a circuit around its outer edge. The interior looks to be full of greenery and Elsa can hear the squawks of birds hidden amongst the trees.

The crewmembers who are still on the ship barely glance at her, and the few who do don't give her anything more than a perfunctory grunt. Besides the whole 'being in a cell' thing, she hardly feels like a prisoner. If anything, she feels more like a vaguely disliked guest. She knows this treatment isn't the norm on ships—pirate and naval alike—and she finds it interesting how this particular crew operates.

Kristoff presses an apple and a flask of water into her hands before steering her towards one of the small boats they would be taking to the island. A few other pirates lower themselves into the boat and soon they are off, Sven paddling alongside them in the clear water.

It's always a strange sensation for Elsa, having solid ground under her feet. She spends so long at sea that she hardly remembers what life on land is like. Kanoa is a beautiful little island and Elsa is relieved that Anna makes a habit of stopping here—between her hunt for Anna and her own subsequent capture, she's been at sea for a little more than a month.

Anna's pirates also seem to be enjoying the short break from their duties. Many are stretched out on the white sands and others are swimming or fishing in the waves. Kristoff walks past the main group until he and Elsa are relatively alone under the shade of a palm tree. His boots quickly come off and he rolls his pants up to the knees before sitting down. Elsa stays standing until he gives an impatient huff.

"Feel free to do whatever you want. Just don't leave my sight," he tells her, sounding slightly grouchy.

Elsa weighs her options. The only two pirates she's familiar with are Kristoff and Anna, and the latter is nowhere to be seen. Since Elsa isn't too eager to be around the others, she sits down as well. "Are you acting as my guard?"

Kristoff leans back on his hands. "I guess so, in a self-appointed kind of way. Anna gets careless sometimes about the little things. I'm here to see they get taken care of."

Elsa refrains from commenting on how she's apparently considered a 'little thing'. Instead, she sees an opening and casually says, "Why are we here in the first place? Anna told me she comes here whenever she's on her way to Swann Cove—" Kristoff shoots her a withering look and Elsa clears her throat, "Or wherever it is we're going. Which is not Swann Cove."

Satisfied with her response, he indulges her with an answer. "It's actually quite the story." He can't seem to stop the anticipatory smile from coming across his face.

"Oh?" Elsa inquires, surprised. She wasn't expecting him to actually tell her much of anything, but Kristoff has turned towards her a bit more and looks ready to tell this story.

He nods. "A little over a year ago…" he intones dramatically, "there was a violent storm that made the seas rage. One ship unlucky enough to be sailing on those seas eventually succumbed to the waves, leaving nothing behind but a few planks of wood and a girl named Anna."

Elsa's eyes widen at that. _Anna was…shipwrecked?_

Kristoff continues, "This island, previously unnamed, was where she found herself the next morning. The island was kind and she found it wasn't difficult to survive in such a place. But eventually boredom set in. So she began doing what any bored person stranded island would do—hunt for buried treasure." A broad grin lights up his handsome face. "And oh, did she find some. Jewelry, trinkets, clothing…things that could make her an incredibly rich woman. It was about this time that a down-on-his-luck ice merchant came across her smoke signals and investigated the source. He found Anna and eventually the two of them loaded all the treasure they could into his skiff before setting off."

He rubs at his chin in thought. "It was strange though. When the man asked where she wanted to go, she didn't name a place. She said she had no interest in returning home. She wanted to begin a new life, one where she didn't have to take orders from anyone, where she could go anywhere or do anything she pleased. The man wanted this as well since he had grown weary of his job. Armed with her new wealth, Anna eventually bought a ship and gathered a crew and, well," he smirked slightly. "Here you are."

"That's…quite the story." Elsa manages after a moment. She could hardly believe the tale—it seemed like something a pirate would say to garner a crew, not something that happened to real people. "But do you actually believe it? Shipwrecks, buried treasure, convenient rescues…it all seems a little too fantastical, doesn't it?" She could imagine Anna, in her excitable manner, telling her story in a dark bar, surrounded on all sides by avid listeners.

Elsa's sure the real story is much less exciting—perhaps Anna simply became bored of her life in the castle, stole a few valuable items, and ran off.

Kristoff cuts into her thoughts. "It's true!" He exclaims, looking highly affronted. He calms himself by clenching some sand in his palms before speaking again. "I know it's true," he says in a lower tone, "because I'm the one who found her."

" _You're_ the ice merchant?" Elsa says in astonishment. Before she can think better of it, she adds, "That must have been a tough business to be in."

Kristoff gives a snort. "Yeah, tell me about it." A slightly more serious demeanor appears after he catches Elsa's gaze. "I really did find her and she really was shipwrecked with treasure. I know how it sounds—I hardly believed it and I was there! But we combined my knowledge of sailing with her wealth and leadership abilities and here we are. We're not ordinary pirates, not in the strictest sense—"

Now it's Elsa's turn to snort.

"I mean it!" Kristoff says earnestly. "We don't pillage or burn or kill. We steal, sure. But only from those who can afford it. Anna's picked a good crew and she's a good captain. Navies have tried to bring us in but they never will," the confidence is clear in his voice by now, "because we're better than them. That's all there is to it." He gives her another smirk and leans against the palm tree with his hands resting on his stomach.

Elsa can't help but grit her teeth at the last part but she has to admit that Kristoff's story was all kinds of interesting. She already knew it was true that Anna is unlike other pirates—Elsa being here on the island instead of in the brig is proof enough—but the way Kristoff told it, she and the rest of them were no better or worse than anyone else who sailed on the open water. And for Anna to go from surviving on a deserted island to become such a famous pirate…it was almost admirable.

A gust of hot air blows over her and slips sand into her every fold of clothing. Narrowing her eyes, she tugs her boots off, making sure to empty the sand out. Her feet touch the ground and she feels herself relax. This is the first time she's ever been in contact with sand before. She finds the soft, warm texture to be delightful and she burrows her feet into it. From his spot, Kristoff watches her with a raised eyebrow but doesn't say anything.

The mood soon turns tranquil as Elsa watches the pirates playing on the beach. Esmeralda, the woman who doesn't seem to like Elsa too much, is even laughing and splashing water at a handsome, golden haired man. Kristoff soon dozes off to sleep right before an extremely wet Sven trots up to him and shakes his fur, spraying Kristoff with water.

 _The plan_ , Elsa thinks determinedly when she catches herself about to smile at the spectacle around her, _I have to think of the plan_. She quickly wracks her brain for ideas on getting Anna to trust her, to agree to let her off at Swann Cove, to—

"Anna!" Kristoff's voice interrupts her thoughts, and he waves to someone behind her. Elsa turns and her heart seems to beat a bit faster.

The plan—which was already on shaky ground after the story Kristoff just told her—nearly crumbles completely when she sees Anna. She's wearing a pale green camisole that blows against the wind, outlining her lithe form. Wrapped around her waist is a white and gold sarong that stops right above her knees. Her hair is still loose and her bare feet tread lightly across the sand.

But it's not even her body that's distracting Elsa. It's the way she wipes at the corner of her eyes before smiling and waving back to Kristoff. _Was she crying?_ Elsa wonders, but the thought is soon cast aside when Anna plops down between her and Kristoff.

"How are you doing?" Anna asks, no trace of wetness on her face.

Elsa tenses and looks at the ground. "When are we leaving?" she asks to evade answering Anna's question. Because the honest answer would have been ' _conflicted'._ By all rights, Elsa should hate Anna, _wants_ to hate her. But she just can't, which makes her so-called plan all the more difficult to pull off.

Not sensing Elsa's inner turmoil, Anna replies, "Probably in another few hours. We'll be gone before the sun sets." Elsa looks up just in time to see Anna's bright eyes light up with an idea. "Say, do you wanna build a sandcastle?"

 _Stop being so adorable,_ Elsa thinks miserably. _Stop it at once._

Anna waits in silence for a few more seconds before adding, "It doesn't have to be a sandcastle. We can bury Kristoff instead!" That idea appeals a little more to Elsa but she remains quiet. Anna deflates slightly and her shoulders seem to droop. "Alright," she says in a smaller voice. "I'm just going to go swimming then. Kristoff, would you like to join me?"

Kristoff grunts. "I'm watching the prisoner. If she comes, I'll come."

Elsa wrinkles her nose at that—since Kristoff is sitting upwind from her, she can smell the wet-dog odor on him. She heaves a heavy sigh and nods. "Fine. But not for too long."

Anna gives her another one of those blinding smiles and runs towards the surf. Kristoff and Elsa trail behind her, Kristoff shedding his shirt along the way. He wades into the water and lets out an annoyed groan when Anna splashes water at him. Elsa watches them before realizing that she should shed her clothing as well. They're the only clothes she has and she'll be damned if they end up ruined by the saltwater.

She slowly unbuttons her shirt and carefully folds it before laying it next to Kristoff's. Her pants are next and soon she's in nothing but a camisole and a pair of dark drawers. Unconsciously, her hand reaches for the tight bun at the back of her head and she pulls the pins out. Her platinum hair tumbles past her shoulders, and out of habit she sweeps it back and over her left shoulder before joining her companions in the water.

The water is the perfect temperature and she wades in until it's up to her chest. She glances at the other two and, in complete surprise, sees four eyes staring back at her in absolute astonishment. Kristoff's eyes are as wide as they can get and his face seems to be slightly flushed.

And Anna…with her hair soaked to a dark auburn and water droplets gleaming on her skin, her mouth is agape. "Wow," Anna says, breaking the silence. "You're…kind of beautiful. _Really_ beautiful, actually. Not that you weren't before, but now…Kristoff!" she calls out suddenly, her eyes not moving away from Elsa in the slightest, "Is it inappropriate for me to call the prisoner 'beautiful'? I think it probably is." Elsa finds herself growing hot under her scrutiny, though somehow she's also immensely pleased that Anna finds her beautiful.

" _Terribly_ inappropriate." Kristoff confirms sarcastically from his spot, though his eyes haven't left Elsa either.

Still, his tone is enough to shake Anna's gaze away from Elsa. She stares at him for a hard moment before shaking her head, unable to think of a retort. Instead, she splashes him again. He sputters and splashes back. Elsa finds herself drawn into the fight when one of Anna's strikes goes a bit off target and soaks Elsa's face.

She sputters at the sensation of the saltwater in her eyes and mouth, much to the amusement of the pirates. Her lips form something between a smile and a snarl, and she leaps into the fray with much enthusiasm. It's the first time she's ever been in something so juvenile as a water fight and she finds herself to be enjoying it immensely.

The three battle it out for what seems like hours, until Elsa is completely exhausted and her fingers begin to prune. Her opponents have also depleted their stores of energy and Kristoff eventually drifts off back to shore in order to round up the other pirates.

Anna lingers with her when Elsa heads back to the beach and gathers her clothes. She tries not to notice the way the wet camisole clings to the Anna's figure but it's rather difficult to ignore. She glances at Anna's face and notes with interest that her eyes quickly dart away towards the sky, as if she didn't want to be caught staring at Elsa.

The thought warms Elsa's face and she once again reminds herself of her plan. If Anna really was looking at her, perhaps this romance thing would work after all. She decides to test the waters. "I had a lot of fun today," she mumbles. Well, it wasn't exactly a flirtatious line but she found it to be truthful.

Anna gives her an odd look and leans in closer to her. "Hmm?" she asks, face far closer to Elsa's than it needs to be. "What did you say?"

Elsa swallows hard. "IsaidIhadfuntoday," she lets out in a rush before turning away and stomping towards one of the skiffs that would take them back to the ship.

Anna catches up with her and tries to catch her eyes. "Yeah," she says happily. "Me too."

The simple, honest reply makes Elsa's heart twinge and she forces herself not to acknowledge the feeling. "You looked nice today, too," she adds, only slightly louder than her previous comment. She grimaces at her amateur line—her crew would be laughing at her if they could see this sad display (of course, they'd do it where she couldn't see or hear them, for fear they would be thrown overboard).

But Anna doesn't seem to mind. "Thanks, you did too," she replies easily, "You should really think about wearing your hair down more, it looks lovely like that."

The rest of the journey back to the ship is in silence, as Elsa can't think of anything else to say in the light of that comment and Anna is content to just look up at the clouds in the dimming sky.

Once they reach the ship, the two part ways as Anna heads to her cabin and Elsa to her cell. To her relief, she finds that Sven is not laying across her pillow. Instead, he's stretched out along the foot of her cot and he wags his tail at her return.

Soon, the ship sets sail into deeper waters and Elsa is almost lulled off to sleep by the motion and the coming darkness of night. The only thing that keeps her clinging to consciousness is the thought of Anna. It seems like she can do no wrong, even though _she's_ the one who took Elsa off her ship and put her in a cell. The strangeness of her situation doesn't escape her and her mind keeps going back to earlier, when Anna was rendered speechless before calling her beautiful. A smile almost escapes Elsa's tight control and she has to remind herself that this is a _pirate_ , not just some innocent girl. Elsa finds that that reminder is harder to summon each time she thinks about the Summer Princess.

As if summoned by these thoughts, a lantern swings in front of her cell and Anna looks through the bars. "Hi," she whispers. "Are you awake?"

Elsa almost jumps off the cot in surprise but quickly regains her composure. "Yes," she answers back, ignoring the thudding of her heart at this late night visit. "What is it?"

Anna bites her lip and casts her gaze downwards for a moment before looking back at Elsa. "I wanted to talk details about your ransom. I need to know who to contact once we get to Swann Cove and how much you think you're…worth," she says the final word quietly and shifts as though uncomfortable. She takes a deep breath and goes on, "I'd rather do this in my cabin. It's dark down here and I have nowhere to write. Is that alright?"

Of course. It was stupid of her to think Anna came down here for any other reason besides her ransom. Pretend fights with swords and playing together in the water didn't mean she wasn't still a prisoner. "That's fine." Elsa replies somewhat stiffly.

Anna nods, looking relieved, and quickly opens the cell. Elsa gives Sven a pat before following the pirate above the brig and across the main deck until they are in front of her cabin. Anna pushes the door open and gestures for Elsa to pass her.

The space is similar to Elsa's in size but that's where the similarities end. Where Ela's cabin had only the most basic of amenities and not a thing was out of place, Anna's is wild and colorful. Bright sheets of blues and yellows and greens are draped across her bed. On the wall behind her vanity, flags hang proudly. From a quick glance Elsa recognizes Corona, Arendelle, DunBroch and Summerland. The vanity itself is surprisingly bare of the jewelry Elsa expected to see. All that's on it is an ebony hairbrush and a bottle of sun balm. A small collection of swords are mounted at the foot of the bed.

Elsa stands awkwardly as Anna takes a seat at the vanity and gets out a quill and a piece of parchment. Anna readies her quill and turns slightly. "So what were you carrying on your ship?"

"Lutefisk, rum, some jewelry." Elsa lists off. She perches on the edge of the bed and has to resist the urge to lay down in it—it's certainly much more comfortable than her own cot.

Anna sighs wistfully. "Lutefisk and rum…what a splendid combination." Her quill scratches against the paper. "And who was your employer?"

Elsa tenses at that. She never intended to be captured and so the backstory for her 'merchant' ship was questionable at best. "Hawkins Trading," she blurts out before her silence can become suspicious.

From her spot at the vanity, Anna pauses a moment before giving a shrug. "Who was your direct superior? And how long have you been working for Hawkins?"

The questions were becoming too difficult for Elsa to lie about. Instead, she attempts to distract Anna. "Kristoff told me what happened to you on the island," she says, hoping it will make Anna forget about what she's writing.

To her surprise, Anna merely rolls her eyes. "Yes, he likes his own part in that story. I do as well," she adds quickly. "If it weren't for him I might still be there." She gives another sigh before going back to her paper. "So what were your answers? Also, I should probably know where you were sailing out of as well as your destination. I can send a copy of this letter to your crew and one to Hawkins' office in Freeport."

"I…" Elsa feels trapped and tries again to shift Anna's attention. "What were you doing on the other side of the island? It looked like you might have been crying."

This time the words have more of an effect. The smile seems to freeze on Anna's face and she drops the quill. "You saw me?" she asks, voice quiet.

The silence thickens as the two lock eyes and Elsa's heart speeds up again. Maybe that was the wrong question to ask, maybe Anna would be angry at her and forget this ransom just keep her in the brig for as long as she wants, maybe—

Anna stands up suddenly and Elsa tries not to flinch at the movement, but Anna doesn't seem to notice. She sits next to Elsa on the bed, her presence making the mattress dip slightly and causing the two women to bump shoulders. "You said Kristoff told you?" Anna repeats in the same soft voice, her gaze resting on the clenched hands in her lap. "I wasn't the only one on that ship. A lot of people I knew died that night. Including…" she shudders beside Elsa and Elsa has to resist the urge to wrap an arm around her, "Including my father."

A pang goes through Elsa at that and now she can't stop herself from lightly holding Anna's far shoulder. Her father…Elsa felt like a terrible person for bringing up this memory, even if it was for her own safety.

Anna leans into her touch until her head is resting against Elsa's shoulder. "And now every time I pass the island, I stop to pay my respects. The crew looks forward to it as a day off and I can be alone for a few hours." Elsa feels the other woman shrug. "So yes, I might have been crying. But the crew isn't supposed to see that. Neither are you."

"I didn't tell anyone," Elsa murmurs against Anna's hair. "And I'm sorry I brought this up. It was rude of me."

Anna sighs before sitting back up. "It's fine, but I should get back to this letter. I don't want to keep you up all night."

The words clearly weren't meant to be suggestive but Elsa still heats up at the notion of being 'up all night' with Anna. An irritating part of her forces her to remember the plan she has. Only the two of them in Anna's cabin, late at night, might work well in her favor.

Elsa takes a steadying breath before tugging on Anna's shirt. "I don't want to do much talking," she says quietly, fixing a stare on Anna.

The other woman's eyes widen in surprise. "Then…then what do you want to do?" she asks looking between Elsa's hand and eyes with uncertainty.

Elsa stays silent—she knows she has no skills when it came to using words to flirt—and instead leans towards Anna until the pirate is almost laying down completely. "What are you doing?" Anna whispers when Elsa's hand pushes her down until she's completely under Elsa. One of Elsa's legs settles between Anna's and she moves until Anna's face is only a breath away.

Elsa has never done this before, has never seduced a single person. She doesn't know where this sudden surge of confidence was coming from but the movements feel as natural as breathing. And seeing Anna beneath her, her hair a reddish-gold in the light of the lantern, her eyes staring up at her in anticipation…it makes this whole seduction thing that much more satisfying to pull off.

She closes the distance between them and captures Anna's lips with her own, earning a surprised squeak from Anna. The pirate's lips are soft and full, and Elsa finds them intoxicating. One of her hands comes to rest against Anna's shirt, fingers skimming across the fabric covering her ribs. Before she can deepen the kiss, Elsa moves her attention to Anna's jaw, planting a trail of butterfly kisses along the freckled skin before moving downwards.

Elsa's other hand finds itself buried in Anna's hair and she can feel the gritty texture of sea salt beneath her fingertips, can taste it when her tongue touches the pulse jumping at Anna's throat. Anna moans at the contact and Elsa thinks it's the sweetest sound she's ever heard. "I-I don't even know your name," Anna says breathlessly, and the skin beneath Elsa's mouth turns a lovely shade of pink. "I know nothing about you."

Elsa plants a kiss at the base of Anna's throat before coming back up to her face. "My name is Elsa," she answers, surprised at how sultry her voice has become. "There's nothing more to know in this moment."

Elsa quickly regains Anna's lips before she can think to ask any more questions. The kiss is longer and more thorough than the first one. Elsa feels Anna's lips move against her own and almost jumps when one of Anna's hands grasps at her waist. Elsa's tongue traces Anna's bottom lip, asking for entrance. Anna complies and her mouth opens in a gasp as Elsa deepens the kiss.

All rational thought leaves Elsa's brain, until the word 'plan' is nothing but a faint but persistent word in the back of her mind. She loses all sense of time as they continue to kiss. This is amazing. This is intoxicating. The sounds and movements of the woman beneath her make Elsa never want to stop this. Elsa finds that this kind of seduction comes easier than words ever could, that she is enjoying kissing this pirate more than anything she has ever done.

_Pirate._

The word drags her back to reality and she reluctantly opens her eyes. Anna is still beneath her, flushed and with a dazed expression on her face. Elsa doesn't stop her ministrations but she slows down considerably. _It's now or never_ , she decides grimly. Elsa's hand slips under Anna's shirt and she revels at the sensation of the warm, smooth skin again her fingers. Anna arches up slightly at the contact, another moan escaping her lips.

"When we reach Swann Cove," Elsa says against Anna's shoulder, her fingers exploring the woman's stomach. "May I come ashore with you?" she punctuates her request with her teeth, gently capturing Anna's sensitive skin and running her tongue over the area until it's reddened.

"I…I don't see why not," Anna gasps out, arching up again, her form pressing against Elsa's. "Kristoff will probably kill me though."

"Forget about him." Elsa urges, her hand coming dangerously close to Anna's chest. "I just want to be with you. I won't wander off." At least, she won't wander too far—just enough to alert someone that the Summer Princess is there and ready to be captured.

Captured…the word is strange to think about. Imagining Anna in a cell kills her mood and she softens the kisses slowly before coming to a complete stop. Anna opens her eyes at the loss of contact but doesn't do anything but look at Elsa with her tantalizingly swollen lips.

"We should probably stop tonight," Elsa manages, fighting against a second wave of arousal at the sight. "I'm sure you want to get some sleep before your day starts tomorrow."

Anna slides out from underneath her and nods, still looking slightly stunned by this turn of events. Her hair is mussed her fine clothing is wrinkled. "You're right," she agrees after attempting to tame her hair. She gives Elsa a sideways glance. "You can stay here tonight, if you'd like." Elsa's eyes widen, and upon seeing her expression Anna rushes, "You don't have to! I didn't mean that in a suggestive way or anything. Just…I know my bed is more comfortable than yours and after what we did…it doesn't seem nice to send you back to your cell." Anna stops talking and blushes, not looking at Elsa.

Elsa nods slowly. "That would be fine," she says after a slight hesitation. She had no plans to _spend the night_ with the Summer Princess but she felt safe with the other woman, as strange as that seems.

Anna gives her a relieved smile and motions for Elsa to get under the covers. Once Elsa takes off her boots, she complies. The bed is just as comfortable as she thought it would be and she finds herself already half-asleep by the time Anna has taken off her boots and extinguished the lantern.

But she still feels the other woman next to her, feels the heat emanating from her body.

"Goodnight," Elsa murmurs before closing her eyes and fighting against the urge to curl her body up next to Anna's.

It's quiet for such a long time that Elsa believes the other woman is already asleep. She's about to drift off herself when she hears, "Goodnight…Elsa." Anna's voice is soft and almost timid. The tone is enough to bring a smile to Elsa's face and a painful sensation to her heart.

This plan of hers…it might have worked too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Kanoa' is a Hawaiian name that means 'the free one'. I thought that was very fitting for Anna and her backstory.


	4. Chapter 4

The warmth beneath Elsa's cheek shifts slightly, and she instinctively tightens her hold on it. This elicits a small, sleepy murmur from her source of heat. Elsa's eyes fly open at the sound and she's suddenly wide awake, looking at her surroundings. She's not in her cell. She's in a bed that's actually soft. _Anna's_ bed. Remaining motionless, she quickly takes in her position.

She must have shifted sometime during the night because this was _definitely_ not how she remembers going to sleep. Nearly half of her body is on top of Anna's—one leg is entangled with the pirate's, an arm is slung across Anna's shoulder, her fingers are tangled in soft hair, and her face is pressed into the crook of Anna's neck. Elsa takes in the smell of sun balm and to her mortification, it takes an almost herculean effort to resist the urge to kiss the throat of her pirate.

Wait, her captain.

No, her _captor_.

This is ridiculous. She had only shared a few (great, _fantastic_ ) kisses with the other woman, and in the name of treachery! It isn't Elsa's fault that Anna is so good at kissing. Images from the previous night come unbidden to her mind—

(the way Anna's heated tongue felt against her own, the sensation of Elsa's hand splaying across the tense muscles of Anna's stomach, the pressure of their bodies writhing together)

-and she bites back a frustrated groan. The plan was supposed to get _Anna_ to trust her enough so she could go ashore; it wasn't supposed to be anything more than that. But Elsa just has to have these stupid _feelings_ of hers, ones she could barely keep in check. Part of the problem is that she's never felt this way before. Last night hadn't been her first time kissing someone, though it had been the first time it had been so thoroughly enjoyable.

But she achieved her goal. Of course, she'll still have to play the part of amorous prisoner for the next few days, but she doesn't find the prospect too troublesome.

Elsa gently pulls away from Anna, her teeth sinking into her lower lip when she takes in the sight below her. As it turns out, Anna is an amazingly cute sleeper. Her lips are parted slightly and in contrast to her almost always cheerful expressions, her eyebrows furrow occasionally as if dreaming of something unpleasant.

No, this won't be too troublesome. Not if she can keep the sudden stab of guilt she feels from affecting her judgment.

* * *

Elsa wants to be out of the cabin by the time Anna wakes up. She wants to be back in her own cell, where she can think without having the other woman around. Anna's presence, even when she's sleeping, is nearly too much for Elsa to handle.

But that's not happening because for some reason, Elsa feels compelled to stay in bed, propped up against her pillows, and watch Anna sleep. The sight is too pleasant to pass up, though staring at her for too long makes the surge of guilt rise up again. Elsa impatiently attempts to suppress it—after all, there's nothing wrong with watching a beautiful person sleep as long as she knows that person will eventually end up in prison.

Okay, that sounds a little cold for even her. An exasperated sigh escapes her and she lays back down to stare at the ceiling. The situation she's put herself in is starting to give her a headache. Surely there could have been other ways to convince Anna to let her go ashore, ways that didn't involve feelings or hands or lips. Sure, it had seemed like a good idea at the time—using her own annoying emotions to fuel her efforts towards gaining Anna's trust.

But now…now it's starting to make her feel things other than guilt (and the guilt is bothersome enough as it is). Things like _adoration_ and even more troubling, _want_. Elsa's never wanted much in her life besides a stable job and respect. Now, she wants a _person._ It was so, so wrong—especially considering that it's a pirate. What kind of person falls for a pirate? All of them are criminals who only care about themselves and whatever riches they can get their hands on.

Elsa's not the type to fall for a pirate—she's the type to bring them in. But even so…isn't that what she's been doing these last few days? She thinks ( _hopes)_ that this is nothing more than just fleeting physical attraction. She thinks she can handle that decently enough. Though if it turns out to be something more—

A wide yawn interrupts Elsa's increasingly frantic introspection. She's almost relieved that Anna appears to be waking up—she is _not_ interested in doing any soul-searching at the moment. No, she needs to focus on the plan, nothing else.

Anna gives a lazy stretch before turning her head towards Elsa, her blue eyes widening when she sees her. A hesitant smile crosses her lips. "Hey," she says softly. Her hand closest to Elsa moves as if wanting to reach towards her before thinking better of it. Instead, she diverts her gaze and blushes slightly.

The behavior is odd and so unlike how Anna's acted in the short time Elsa's known her. She reminds her of a little girl trying and failing to act normal around her first crush. Which…

Elsa swallows hard. She wasn't, _couldn't_ , have been Anna's first kiss. There was no way a woman as vibrant and beautiful as Anna hadn't kissed someone before, especially considering how good she was at it. And that means Elsa probably wasn't her first crush. Because that would be...

(amazing, flattering, wonderful)

…awful.

"Hi," Elsa answers back after a long minute.

Anna turns so her hand is propping her head and she's peering up at Elsa through messy hair. Her shirt moves with her and Elsa finds herself staring at a light red mark a little above Anna's collarbone—a mark she made with her teeth last night.

And oh god, does she want to do that again.

The sudden wave of desire that hits her almost takes her breath away and she clenches her fists against it. _You're better than this_ , she urges herself against the blood pounding in her ears, _remember why you're here. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal don't feel…_ the mantra seems to help, though not very much. Anna needs to move away from her, get out of sight, or-or wear a full-length jacket, maybe like the one Elsa has—

But that just conjures the image of Anna wearing the black, form-fitting naval jacket, legs bare and Elsa's pretty sure she's not wearing anything beneath it, and oh hell—

"I was thinking," Anna's gaze is still settled somewhere behind Elsa but she's talking with determination, apparently completely oblivious as to what's going through Elsa's mind. "Last night after we…well after that but before I went to sleep, I was thinking."

"…O-oh?" Elsa chokes out in response. Her libido is distracting her, and she is trying to wrestle it into submission before Anna looks at her again, which seems like it might happen soon.

As she predicted, Anna's bright eyes catch her own and the pirate gives her another small, unsure smile. Elsa's heart thumps erratically in response. "Yes. I was wondering if…if you might want to join the crew." After Anna says the words, her eyes go big and she looks away again. "And not just because of what we did," she barrels on, "but you were a captain. Hawkins only hires the best and you're quite good with a sword too. I bet you would be a good navigator and Pascal has been talking about retiring soon. If yesterday was any indicator, Kristoff even seems like he tolerates you. Which for him is saying something. He really only like me and Sven. So for him that's a big deal, that's like a really good thing—"

"Anna," Elsa cuts her off. Before she can stop it, her hand comes up to Anna's cheek so they could look at each other again. The invitation to become a pirate is more than she could have hoped for—it's touching and more importantly, a way to get the crew to trust her. If she has Anna's approval to join the crew, the others probably won't put up too much of an argument for allowing her onto land before her ransom is paid. Giving in slightly to her libido, Elsa leans forward and kisses Anna on the tip of her nose. "I'll think about it."

Her answer seems to relieve Anna and she lets out a small laugh, rubbing cutely at her nose. "Good. You can meet with our navigator today then. And no pressure," she adds quickly, "If you decide to say no, we'll just drop you off once we get your ransom like we originally planned, I promise. I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to take advantage of you."

Elsa doesn't smile back—it's more of a grimace. _No, you're not taking advantage of me. I'm the one taking advantage of you._

* * *

Later in the morning, the two of them exit Anna's cabin to the hoots and whistles of any nearby pirates. Anna sticks her tongue out at them but doesn't seem too bothered by the obvious insubordination. If this were Elsa's crew, she'd have them thoroughly chewed out and forced to scrub the decks until they learned to show proper respect to their captain.

But no, Anna simply walks across the main deck and soon the crew gets back to whatever they were working on. Anna pushes open the door to the map room and allows Elsa to pass her.

"Pascal!" Anna calls out to the room's sole occupant. "I want you to meet someone."

A frazzled man looks up from the chart he was staring at, hurriedly pushing up his glasses. "Good day, Captain. Who is this?" He steps out from behind the table he was at and Elsa is able to fully take in the man's appearance.

His clothing is a mish-mash of color—a dark navy coat is pulled over a wrinkled green shirt, a bright red sash is tied around his faded brown pants, and his socks are, strangely enough, a deep shade of lilac. As he walks forward to give her a handshake, she notes the large, dark eyes further magnified by thick spectacles.

Anna steps away from Elsa and dramatically thrusts her hands out towards her, as if displaying her for viewing. "This is Elsa!" Anna introduces her with more enthusiasm than Elsa thinks is necessary. "Former prisoner and possible future crew member."

Pascal's expression brightens instantly. "Ah! A potential replacement. How would you say your navigating skills are, young miss?"

Top of her class. She had been able to find almost any longitude she wanted, was competent when measuring her location against the moon and nearby stars, and had an almost unnatural sense for knowing which direction she was pointed towards without using a compass. If she were less interested in managing an entire ship, she would have chosen to become a navigator.

"Quite good," is all she says since she does have _some_ humility and she doesn't know how well-versed a civilian captain would be in navigation.

"Quite good…" Pascal echoes under his breath before nodding slightly. He takes her hand and leads her around the other side of the table. "Let's start with the basics then, so I can see your skills for myself. I don't want to leave Anna with an incompetent navigator."

Elsa looks back towards Anna, who smiles encouragingly at her. "Pascal's great. I'll see you later!" With that she darts out of the door, leaving Elsa and the old man by themselves.

Pascal takes no time introducing her to the room, showing her where he keeps all of the instruments and maps. He's strictly business until he ascertains that Elsa really does know what she's doing.

After that, he seems to relax slightly. Elsa finds the man surprisingly easy to talk to—he's so unlike her idea of a pirate. He's patient, clearly well-educated, and has a sarcastic edge to him that becomes more apparent with each passing minute. She also discovers that he seems to know more about navigating the seas than most of her teachers at the naval academy she attended.

Elsa relaxes too, feeling like she doesn't have to put up any sort of front around him. When they break for a late lunch, she remembers something Kristoff had told her on Kanoa, something that didn't line up with what Anna had said earlier.

After washing down her meal with some water she asks, "Why are you looking to retire so soon? Kristoff told me that Anna's crew has only been sailing for about a year."

Pascal gives her a wry look over his own food. "This certainly isn't the first ship I've been a navigator on, Missy." Elsa bristles at the name but stays silent. "I would have been happy to be stay on with the crew but my heart took a turn for the worse earlier this year. The captain said as soon as she had a replacement, she'd give me enough money to live comfortably."

Elsa is oddly moved by this new piece of information. She has never heard of a pirate 'retirement package', though by now it seems like she should expect Anna to be radically different from the other pirates Elsa has interacted with. She's truly one of a kind. Beautiful, kind, considerate, brilliant with a sword, impossibly cheerful…

"Miss Elsa? Are you still listening to me?" Pascal asks in mild amusement, clearly knowing the answer.

She feels a slow flush come across her face. "Of course I am. Where do you plan on retiring to?" she asks in an attempt to cover her previous inattention. Even when Anna isn't around, Elsa still finds her incredibly distracting.

Pascal rolls his eyes in exasperation. "DunBroch, as I previously said." Elsa has the grace to look embarrassed. Satisfied, he elaborates, "There's an old lighthouse I'd like to renovate at Lantern Point. I'd still be close to the sea and have plenty of privacy. So if you do indeed decide to turn to a life of piracy…I'll be very pleased."

Elsa snorts at his lack of subtly and he responds with an easy smile. To be honest though…the job doesn't seem that bad. Not that she would ever do it of course (she's a captain in the goddamn _navy_ after all). "I'm not entirely sure it's the life for me," she confesses. "I've never broken any kind of law before. I might be ill-suited to this lifestyle."

"Ill-suited?" Pascal repeats, something Elsa can tell he has a habit of doing. He takes off his glasses and rubs at his eyes. Putting them back on, he fixes her with a hard glare. "How is this so different than what you already do? Do you not already sail the seas, carry treasures of a sort on your ship, eat the same awful food we do?"

"Well, yes. But—"

"And do you not sometimes wish for a kind of freedom you can't find with your current employer?" he prods her. "Freedom to have a voice, express any discontent you might have, be a real part of something?"

"That's hardly relevant," Elsa sputters, taken off guard by his questions. There might have been a time in her younger years when that sort of freedom was tempting. But now she has been in the navy for years, has clawed her way up through the ranks with nothing but grim determination and skill. The navy has strict codes and expectations that have been hammered into her during that time. 'Freedom' is an almost foreign concept to her now.

Pascal raises an eyebrow when she stays silent. "Just think about it. For my sake, at least," he adds with a smirk.

She doesn't bother responding, though the beginning of a smile is tugging on her lips. She turns back to the map in front of her, but her mind is still on his words.

* * *

Elsa and Pascal would have forgotten dinner entirely if it weren't for Anna barging into the room, two trays in her hands. "I got some food for you guys," she announces unnecessarily. She frowns at Pascal. "I told you to stop skipping meals; it's not good for your heart."

"Your concern warms that very same organ, Captain," he replies when he takes a tray from her. "It's what keeps me going until I know you have a good replacement."

"And?" Anna prompts him, settling next to Elsa. "How is she?"

"I'm right here," Elsa grumbles under her breath. But she finds herself sidling a little closer to Anna. The two have only been apart for less than a day but somehow it seems like it's been much longer—Elsa realizes that she already misses Anna's touch.

As if she can read her mind, Anna reaches under the table and takes ahold of Elsa's hand without glancing at her. Elsa bites back a surprised noise and fights against the urge to squeeze Anna's hand back. Still, she doesn't remove her hand either.

"She is talented, surprisingly so." Pascal doesn't seem to notice what's going on on the other side of the table. "You wouldn't have any trouble with her if she decides to come aboard."

Elsa perks up slightly at his praise. Pascal seems to be more knowledgeable than most of her own naval instructors, and she had actually learned a few new things in the short time she was with him.

Anna beams at the news. "That's great!" Turning to Elsa she says, "If Pascal says you're good, then that means you're _really_ good. As such, I would like to formally offer you a spot on board."

Seeing the smile on Anna's face makes Elsa feel a sense of foreboding. Her hand slips out of the pirate's. "I'm flattered Pascal thinks so. Still, it's a big decision to make and I'll need more time."

"Of course," Anna replies, though she seems a bit deflated. She pushes a tray of food in front of Elsa. "You should eat. Pascal's already getting you into his bad habits and I can't stand to see anyone on my ship to eat less than three meals a day."

Elsa nods silently and starts in on the food. Looking pleased, Anna adds, "Feel free to come back to my cabin if you'd like. I know for a fact that you like my bed more than the one in the cell."

Making a choking sound, Elsa thumps on her chest to dislodge a piece of fish. She looks at Pascal, who pretends to busy himself with his instruments (though his shaking shoulders tell her he's definitely listening). "Ahh…sure," Elsa says weakly.

Anna stands, giving her and Pascal another smile. "Good night then. And Pascal, don't think I won't notice if you skip breakfast tomorrow!"

The man rolls his eyes and wave her away. Once Anna's left, he quirks his lips at Elsa. "You should get some sleep as well. Or whatever it is you and the captain do."

Elsa nearly chokes on another mouthful of food, making Pascal laugh until his face turns red.

* * *

She's been pacing outside Anna's cabin for the last fifteen minutes, wondering if she should go in. If she didn't, would Anna find it strange? Was she expecting her to stay with her for the rest of the trip?

Elsa dismisses the last thought immediately—Anna was being anything but forceful about this _thing_ they have, whatever it is. She said there would be no pressure and that seemed to be true so far. The only person pressuring Elsa was herself.

The door the cabin creaks open and an amused Anna peers out at her. "Are you coming in or will you be stomping around out here all night?" she asks, a teasing smile on her lips. "Because I have no problem throwing you back in the brig if you keep making so much noise."

Elsa huffs and pushes past Anna and into the cabin. "I was going to come in," she says, needlessly defensive. "I just wanted to stretch my legs first is all."

Anna raises a skeptical eyebrow but doesn't push the subject. "You ready for some sleep?" she asks instead, already halfway into the bed. "I really wanted you to meet Pascal today, but you can do what you'd like for the rest of the trip as long as it doesn't get in the way of the crew. We only have a few days left at sea."

Elsa stares blankly at her, unable to comprehend how such a trusting person can be a pirate. "Why are you giving me so much freedom?" The words spill out of her, tinged with exasperation. "Just yesterday I wasn't anything but another prisoner and now you're letting me wander the ship? I haven't even agreed to join you yet!" The outburst takes her by surprise and her hand quickly covers her mouth.

Anna's eyes have gone wide and she bites her lip in surprise. "Is there something wrong?" she asks Elsa in a small voice. "What is this really about?" She sits up on the bed cross-legged and looks at her, patiently awaiting some sort of response.

"I…" Elsa says weakly. She can't tell Anna the truth—that she wishes Anna was a terrible, evil person so betraying her would be as easy as breathing. She can't say that if she wants to get off this ship in one piece. But she can't bring herself to lie either, not without hating herself for it. "I just wish you weren't so trusting," she says quietly, not looking at Anna. "Or are you like this with all your prisoners?"

The question brings an unexpected sinking feeling in her stomach. _Was_ Anna romantically involved with her prisoners? Maybe Elsa was just one of many. That at least would mark some kind of imperfection on Anna, make it so Elsa would feel less guilt about her plan.

But Anna shakes her head. In an equally quiet voice, she confesses, "You were…actually the first prisoner I've taken." Elsa's eyes snap back to Anna's in surprise. "Every other ship I've taken at least had _something_ of value to bring back. Yours was the only one that was completely empty. Plus," Anna's cheeks color slightly. "I was interested in you. You were fun to fight and the way you got so frustrated was really… _cute_ , I guess."

Elsa's mouth opens and closes but no words come out. Anna was interested in her from practically the moment they met? That's…unexpected, though Elsa admits that she too felt something when she first saw Anna (something besides the usual righteous anger she felt whenever she faced a pirate, that is).

The silence stretches out until Anna can't seem to take it anymore. "Look, I don't want you to think I'm _keeping_ you or something," she says, looking impossibly sincere. "I understand completely if you don't want to…to _be_ with me. So please don't think you have to, whether or not you join the crew. I keep my promises and I promised that I would drop you off once we got your ransom, if that's what you wanted. So just… _tell_ me, okay?" Her voice quakes near the end, causing Elsa to ball her fists in frustration. Anna is _not_ making this easy for her.

Elsa took a second to find her voice. "I…like you," she says slowly, staring fixedly at the floorboards. The words feel like a blade being pulled out of her—awful pain followed by sharp, stinging relief. She continues on, "I don't know what I want to do yet, but I'll inform you when I have made a decision." A shuddering sigh escapes her. This is all too tiring to deal with and she just wishes they were already at Swann Cove.

She hears Anna move and then feels the pirate's hands on her cheeks, gently tilting her head up to meet her. Her hands are surprisingly soft and free of calluses. "Take your time," Anna says, voice low and soothing. Mirroring Elsa's earlier action, she kisses her nose. "Now would you like to get some sleep?"

Elsa gives an almost meek nod and slides into the bed behind Anna. She faces away from her, curling up on her side. She half-expects Anna to wrap her arms around her in a comforting fashion and nestle her chin against Elsa's shoulder. Instead, Anna lets her be.

Elsa finds that to be both a disappointment and a relief.

* * *

The next few days go by in a blur.

Anna is up and out of the cabin every morning before Elsa wakes, off doing her duties as captain. She doesn't seem any different than her usual bubbly self and even after their tense conversation, she doesn't seem to be holding Elsa's hesitations against her in any way. It makes Elsa feel good, relieved.

(And by that she means it makes her feel terrible, wrong.)

While Anna's busy, Elsa uses the free time to wander the ship, occasionally taking a meal to Pascal and discussing the finer points of geography and map-making with him. He's a wealth of information and she can see why Anna wants him to personally pick his replacement.

Other times, Elsa just walks among the crew. They don't bother grunting at her anymore—even Esmeralda is too smitten with a fellow pirate to give her any pointed glares. The group as a whole is surprisingly pleasant and she secretly finds them more tolerable than most of her own crew. There's a sort of natural camaraderie among them and they are all clearly skillful in their duties. The once-surly Kristoff begins to strike up conversations with her, though now he is careful to avoid answering questions about Anna. It isn't until later that she realizes the treatment is most likely because they think she'll be the newest addition to the crew.

When she's not working, Anna resumes their swordfighting sessions. She still gets the better of Elsa each time, but it begins to take progressively longer. After each fight, Anna gives her a pointer or two, though her main advice remains to be 'let it go'; something Elsa still can't really understand. But she can tell that her fighting style has loosened up slightly in those few days; where before she was rigid and assuming her opponent was following the rules of combat, she is now improvising and taking pragmatic approaches herself.

Anna's also taken to giving Elsa small tours of the ship—one day Elsa is taken by the hand into the cargo hold, the next day to the crew's sleeping quarters, and another into the galley (where the staff shoo them away from the meager amount of bittersweet chocolate they have left).

Today, despite the slate-gray clouds and choppy waves, Anna is determined to get Elsa into the crow's nest.

"No," Elsa says flatly for what must be the tenth time. She has no interest in heights, particularly when they involve an unsteady rope ladder leading up to a tiny platform.

"It's amazing up there!" Anna protests, looking like she might actually stomp her foot. "You can see all kinds of things and it feels like you're flying! Please?"

She's looking at her with those impossibly bright eyes and Elsa melts a bit despite herself. One quick trip wouldn't be that bad, right? She sighs in defeat. "Fine."

The grin she receives is worth the flutter of nervousness she feels as she's steered towards the nest. Anna climbs up first, her movements surprisingly quick and efficient. Elsa wobbles up behind her, not used to scaling the ropes. She hurriedly squeezes onto the platform next to Anna, the height of it making her feel slightly breathless. She focuses on Anna's face instead of the ground.

Anna is staring out towards the sea, her earlier grin even bigger. Her loose hair streams behind her like a wave of pale fire and she looks like she's one moment away from raising her arms in the air and whooping in exultation. Instead, she turns towards Elsa. "I told you it was amazing!" she says over the wind. The expression on her face suddenly changes from happy to astonished as she stares at Elsa.

Elsa's about to ask her what's wrong when she feel a sort of tugging at the corners of her mouth. A smile, she realizes belatedly. For what feels like the first time in forever, she's actually _smiling_ , her lips turned completely upward and her teeth showing, eyes crinkled at the corners. Anna's never seen the expression on her face before and is continuing to look at her like…like Elsa's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Elsa schools her expression as best she can and looks out towards the sea. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Anna follow suit. For the next few minutes, neither of them talk.

Anna was right, Elsa muses. From this height, the view is spectacular. If it weren't for the clouds, she's sure Swann Cove would be visible in the distance. Even the fact that they're far above the main deck isn't bothering Elsa as much as it should be.

However, her enjoyment is short-lived when she focuses her attention on the sky. "Anna," she says urgently, "We're about to sail into a storm." It doesn't look like it will be too big of a storm, but there would certainly be a good amount of rain.

Anna looks at her, a slightly guilty look on her face. "Umm…I know?" she answers weakly against the stare Elsa is leveling at her. "It's really fun up here during storms. And it's kind of a rite of passage—me taking people up here."

Elsa's mouth is hanging open and she can already feel rain droplets starting to fall. "Are you saying you stranded me up here during a storm _on purpose_?" she demands, already moving towards the floor hatch to get down.

Anna quickly blocks her. "I wouldn't do that; the ropes get slick easily." That damn smile lights up her face again. "This will be _awesome_ , trust me." As if to undermine her point, a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, making Elsa jump.

She gives Anna what is supposed to be another glare but she probably looks too frightened to pull it off. The rain is now really starting to come down, fat drops beginning to drench their clothing. A rumble of thunder reverberates through Elsa's body and she finds herself clutching the railing with a white-knuckled grip.

Beside her, Anna actually has her hands raised in the air, fingers reaching toward the heavens. Water droplets run down her arms and dampen her hair. That stupidly pretty grin hasn't left her face; if anything, it only gets larger as the storm gets worse. It's all Elsa can do to focus on her instead of the rain and thunder and lightning around them. Somehow, the storm doesn't seem as scary when she keeps her eyes locked on Anna, and she can almost feel the pure _joy_ radiating from her.

 _This woman is…simply amazing_ , Elsa can't help but think. She's so unlike anyone she's ever met—so unabashedly happy and passionate about whatever she's doing, whether it's swordfighting or riding out a storm in some godforsaken crow's nest. She wears freedom so effortlessly that it's like she was born to be a pirate.

Elsa looks away from her and takes a deep, calming breath. Suddenly, the storm doesn't seem so bad. It's just water and wind, and with Anna by her side it feels like everything will be alright. Her grip on the railing loosens marginally and she wills herself to calm down. She may not be able to enjoy a storm as Anna can, but she can certainly face it with dignity.

The ship eventually emerges from the other side of the storm unscathed, and the rain lessens until the sky is once again sunny and blue. Anna runs a hand through her soaked hair and turns to Elsa. "How great was that?"

Elsa's lips twitch and she resists the urge to smile. "I think 'great' might be too strong of a word," she answers, attempting to go for a prim tone. Now that the sun is back out, she feels a little like a drowned rat with her wet hair and drenched clothing.

Anna shakes her own head slightly, sending water droplets flying. She peeks out from under her damp bangs. "You'll warm up to it," she assures her. "Now should we make our way down? You can have some of my clothes until yours dry."

Elsa nods and the two carefully climb down the ropes. When Elsa's feet finally touch the main deck, she counts her blessings. Anna wastes no time grabbing Elsa by the hand and nearly dragging her to her cabin, only pausing to give the previously dry Kristoff a wet hug when he makes a suggestive remark.

In the privacy of the cabin, Anna wastes no time struggling out of her wet clothing. Her shirt and pants are off before she seems to remember Elsa is just a few feet away. She turns slightly, clad in only drawers and a strip of cloth that wraps around her breasts. Even though she had seen Anna wearing about the same amount of clothing when they were at the beach, somehow this seems…different. Elsa can feel her face heat up the more she looks at Anna's toned and rain-slicked stomach.

"Elsa!" Anna's voice jolts her out of her admiration and she angles her eyes upwards. Anna's raising an eyebrow but there's also a light blush coloring her cheeks. "I asked if you had a preference for color. Everything's about the same size and style but I have almost as many colors in my wardrobe as Pascal does."

Elsa doesn't even have to think about it, "Blue would be nice." It's the color of the sky and sea, what could she _possibly_ like more?

Anna nods and rustles through the wardrobe, eventually tossing a shirt and pair of pants in Elsa's general direction. She quickly pulls on clothing of her own, toweling off her hair with a spare shirt. Elsa glances down at the clothing and back at Anna, who's looking at her expectantly.

"Umm…" Elsa starts, unsure of how to ask Anna to turn around and grant her privacy to change. "Would you…"

"Oh!" Anna's eyes go big. "Of course! I'll just be on my bed. Facing the wall. And not looking at you." She hops onto the bed and does as she promised, hands going about making a braid.

Elsa changes as quickly as she is able to, given that the wet clothing is stuck to her skin. She puts on the trousers, noting that they're a bit more snug than what she's used to. The shirt gives her more problems, however. For one thing, it's hard to get her hands through the sleeves, and the fit seems to be awkward around the neck. But she doesn't want to complain about the new, clean clothing she has. They still beat what she had been wearing for the last several days.

So she taps Anna on the shoulder, surprised to see that she's already finished putting her hair into two braids. Anna turns and looks up at her, immediately making a choking sound. "You…you—" Anna struggles to say.

Elsa smooths the pants down self-consciously, wondering if they're what the pirate is looking at. Maybe they _were_ too tight…

Instead, Anna stands and tugs at Elsa's shirt. "You put this on backwards!" she exclaims, a small laugh escaping her. "I know the ways of pirates are still new to you, but I assure you that we wear clothing the same way everyone else does."

"Oh." The single word doesn't encapsulate how mortified Elsa feels. Did she really not think to put it on properly? Mind on autopilot, she hastily takes the shirt off and flips it around. Great, now she looks like a complete _idiot_ who doesn't even know how to put on a shirt…

Anna's still chortling. "I can't believe you put it on backwards. You are so—" she abruptly stops talking and Elsa never finds out what she is—instead she finds Anna's lips pressing against her own.

Elsa's arms are still entangled in the shirt sleeves, and Anna body keeps the limbs pinned between them. Otherwise, Elsa knows her arms would be around Anna's neck, her hands running through coppery hair.

The kiss is over far too soon, broken when Anna steps back with flushed cheeks and a guilty expression. "I'm sorry," she says after she catches her breath. "I shouldn't have done that without asking first."

This is the first time they've done anything since _that_ night, and Elsa knows it's because of what the pirate promised her—a no pressure environment for her to make her decision. Even when they go to bed, Anna has been careful not to touch her. Elsa didn't realize until now how chafing that lack of touch has been. Well now she's made a decision, one that's not as rooted in her plan as she would like.

She really wants to kiss Anna again.

Instead of saying anything, she yanks off her shirt. Anna looks at her in confusion but before she can speak, Elsa twirls her around and pins her against the wardrobe. The pirate loosens a gasp but Elsa's lips quickly cover her mouth, pressing her body flush against Anna's. "That's alright," she says between kisses, mouthing the words against Anna's collarbone. "You don't need to ask."

There's a groan in response and Elsa finds herself being pulled upwards towards Anna's face. Their mouths slant against each other, and Anna's tongue presses gently against Elsa's lips. Eager to respond, Elsa opens her mouth and their tongues find one another. Despite the enthusiasm of her kisses, Anna's hands are hesitant when they touch Elsa's nearly bare back. Elsa tenses at the sudden contact but, without breaking their kiss, she slides one of Anna's hands down to her hip and presses it further into her.

This isn't like her at all. In her previous, albeit limited amount of romantic encounters, she was always the passive one, mostly because she wasn't too terribly interested in the other person to begin with. But now…she wants to touch Anna and be touched in return. Her sudden physicality should be alarming her, but instead she finds herself accepting it easily. Nothing has felt as good as this—her mouth against Anna's, her hands traveling over the smooth skin of Anna's stomach, their legs pressing together.

When they break for air, Elsa can't help but return to Anna's neck, tongue dipping into the hollow of her throat. She is quick to turn her attention to one of her shoulders, gently setting her teeth against the skin there and sucking. There's a shaky exhale of breath against her hair and Anna's hand makes a helpless scratching gesture on her back.

Elsa's hands almost become feverish in the way they run over every inch of exposed skin they can—Anna's back, stomach, shoulders, neck…they're all subject to Elsa's intense scrutiny. She can't help but want to put her lips everywhere her hands have been. All of her tightly-bottled, carefully maintained control has abandoned her, and she can't even bother herself to care.

Anna, seeming to tire of her more submissive position, tugs Elsa around and up against the wardrobe. She breaks away for a moment and the two stare at each other, panting slightly. Anna's chest is heaving, and Elsa dazedly thinks that while the pirate may have the advantage when it comes to swordfighting, they seem to be equally matched when it comes to kissing. She doesn't have long to take in that amusing thought as Anna is quick to kiss her again.

This time the kiss isn't fast-paced, but has shifted into something slower and more tender. Their tongues lazily explore each other's mouths, and Anna's fingertips are soothing when they trace up and down Elsa's spine.

Elsa's heart, which has been beating fast since the very first kiss, is now feeling almost pained. This kiss is too gentle, and too much emotion is going into it. She wants to break away and regain her composure but that idea becomes more impossible to realize with each passing moment. Even thoughts of her grand plan (and where it would lead Anna) aren't enough to pull away. No, she wants to stay like this for as long as she can, embracing the other woman as tightly as she herself is being embraced.

So it's surprising to her that it's Anna who pulls away. She doesn't go far—just enough for them to breathe, noses almost brushing against one another. Her eyes are dilated, only thin rings of cerulean visible. Her lips are pink and glistening, and Elsa can't help but stare at them, wanting to kiss her again.

Anna's teeth catch her lower lip in thought before she speaks. "I…I really like you, Elsa," her voice is low and she's looking at some point behind Elsa, "I know it hasn't been that long since we met, and that I hardly know anything about you. I know that I'm impulsive and fast to fall for people, but most of all, I know that I really like you. I just wanted you to know that."

Elsa is blindsided by the confession, and again her heart feels like it's seizing up. How is she supposed to respond to such a statement? This whole scheme of hers ends with the Summer Princess in a cell, nothing more and nothing less. So this should be exactly what she wants—now she has the complete trust of Anna, can use that to her full advantage.

Anna's still not looking at her but her lips are turned inwards and she looks more and more vulnerable the longer Elsa refuses to say anything. After another silent moment, she slowly backs away from Elsa and her arms wrap around herself self-consciously.

Elsa automatically takes a step towards her, wanting to easy her worries. Her mouth opens and she's about to say the most honest thing she can—that she feels the same way too—when there's a hard knock on the cabin door.

Anna's eyes widen in surprise and her hands distractedly go to straighten her shirt. With a pang, Elsa watches as she wipes at her neck and face, removing any evidence that Elsa had been there. "Yes?" she calls out, sounding like she hasn't just been rejected by the person she confessed to.

"We're almost at the docks," a voice sounding like Kristoff's calls out. "It shouldn't take more than twenty minutes until we're on land."

"Good. Make sure everyone is doing what they should be. I'll be out soon." With that, she goes to her vanity and tugs on her boots, quickly doing up the buckles. When she stands, her eyes roam over Elsa quickly and her lips unexpectedly quirk into a smile. "I need to get the crew ready. Come and join us when you put your shirt on."

Elsa looks down, having temporarily forgotten her state of undress. Her cheeks heat up again and she grabs the shirt Anna had given her earlier, making sure it's on correctly this time. When her head is through it, she finds that Anna's smile is still there, even though it seems a little more forced than before. "I didn't mean to push that on you," she says, tone now devoid of any teasing. "I said I didn't want to pressure you but I did it anyways," she pauses and Elsa watches her tongue run across her lips. "It won't happen again."

Before Elsa can even think to respond, Anna's out of the cabin and closing the door behind her, leaving Elsa alone. She slumps into the vanity's chair, cradling her head in her hands. She's an idiot for having put herself in this position. How hard would it have been for her to gain Anna's trust in a different way? It would have been less painful for both of them, would have assuredly led to less confusion on Elsa's part.

But now her emotions are hopelessly entangled with Anna's and she's at a crossroad. She can follow her plan to completion, find help on Swann Cove and lock the Summer Princess up as she promised she would. That's the safe way, the only way she's thought about since coming onto the pirate's ship.

Or…or she could forget her plan. Anxiety courses through her at the very thought of what that might mean. It means she would forsake her oath as a naval officer to do good and obey her superiors. She would throw away her illustrious career for a pirate she's only known for a short time.

She would be with Anna.

Elsa swallows hard at the thought. Could she really do that? It goes against everything she's ever done, all of her strict adherence to the rules. If she were honest with herself, she would know that she's been holding off on this decision for a while. But now they're at Swann Cove and Anna would be expecting her to have an answer soon.

She feels her heart settle in her chest as she continues to contemplate her choices. Her head lifts up and she looks up and into the mirror secured on the vanity—in it she sees a woman with wild hair, fever-bright eyes, and flushed cheeks.

A woman who has made her decision.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was kind of an unexpected chapter. I planned to introduce Swann Cove here but felt this was running a bit long. But next chapter will _definitely_ be on Swann Cove and introduce a new character. Thank you for your continued support!


	5. Chapter 5

Elsa's father once told her that a person is defined by their actions, not their words—something she's tried to live her own life by. He was a strict man, a good sailor, and in Elsa's opinion, a great father. The first time he had ever taken her on a ship, she was taken aback by the beauty of it all. There was something about how seamlessly a group of men worked together, the salty spray of the ocean, the wide expanse of sky above her…it was love at first sight.

Her father instilled other values in her, values she had been holding close to her heart ("Duty, honor, and respect are all a person needs to be fulfilled, Elsa. Remember that."). He was a man of the navy through and through, had led her down the same path he took when he was a young man. If he were alive to see it, Elsa can imagine the look of pride in his eyes when she graduated from Corona's naval academy with top marks.

He was a man who never yelled, or hit, or threw things when angry. In fact, he hardly showed any type of negative emotion. But whenever the word 'pirate' was brought up around him, his jaw would tighten, causing his teeth to grind against each other. His hands would clench into fists and his eyes would blaze with anger.

Because if there was one thing he truly hated in the world, it was a goddamn pirate.

Elsa hadn't been brought up on the romantic tales of pirates Anna was apparently acquainted with, ones where they were all rugged swashbucklers who, while a bit on the rebellious side, were good at heart. No, her father had told her very different stories. Ones where pirates were all cutthroats and little better than savage animals. She knew those stories to be true; she had seen the scars on his body where they matched his bitter retellings.

So it was no surprise to her superiors that Elsa had made it her mission to become something of a pirate hunter once she had established herself in the navy. She had been quite good at it, too. From what she had learned about pirates from her father and others, they deserved to be captured and locked away. They were loose cannons, unconcerned about how much damage they caused to those around them.

And then there was Anna.

She and her crew had turned Elsa's notion of 'goddamn pirates' on its head. The reports she had received from Weselton stated that the Summer Princess' worst crimes were theft and destruction of property. Her crew, while they weren't as respectful as Elsa's, were still surprisingly obedient and very skillful in their various tasks.

Anna herself was everything a pirate shouldn't be. Pirates aren't supposed to be warm, or kind, or beautiful. She didn't seem to have a lust for gold or blood, had no greater ambition than stealing rum and lutefisk, wasn't a cruel leader. No…she was a genuinely good person who, for whatever strange reason, had fallen into the wrong kind of life.

Her father's stories of bloodthirsty savages…the kindness she had experienced on Anna's ship…Elsa couldn't reconcile these two diametrically opposing truths.

Before Anna had left her alone in her cabin, trying valiantly to hide the hurt in her eyes at Elsa's silence, Elsa thought there were only two choices laid before her—she could either turn Anna in and reap the rewards that were sure to follow, or throw away her entire life for a pirate.

Shortly after Elsa had captured her first pirates, she had inquired about what would happen to them. Her commanding officer answered that most would be met with 'a short rope and a long drop'. The very thought of Anna's feet dangling above the ground, gently swinging back and forth, was enough for Elsa to feel sick.

But becoming the very thing she had come to loathe was equally unacceptable. Sure, Anna's crew was more troublesome than murderous, but Elsa couldn't see herself boarding innocent ships or raiding towns to steal things. Her father had made sure that she had grown up as some righteous and _good_. Anna was a pirate—there was no denying that fact. She had stolen from people, caused mischief in ports, had fought toe-to-toe with the navy. As much as Elsa felt for Anna, she knew the other woman was not an entirely good person.

But then Elsa realized she had been looking at the situation too narrowly. Another lesson her father taught her had surged up in Anna's cabin—"You always have more choices than you think." Her solution wasn't perfect, not by a longshot. But it meant Anna would be safe and Elsa could live an honest life.

It meant Elsa would never see Anna gain.

But maybe that wasn't a bad thing. She'd only known Anna for _two weeks_. Hell, Elsa had been hunting her down for about the same amount of time. It just wasn't _logical_ to be with Anna. The ache in her heart at that thought would surely go away, given some time and distance. After all, she was _saving_ Anna by abandoning her and going back to the navy. The two of them existed in separate worlds; the few weeks of overlap they had were wonderful but it was never going to be permanent.

It would be best for both of them if Elsa slipped away in Swann Cove and made her way back to her navy. Anna would be hurt, of course. But she would sail on and continue her life of piracy, and Elsa, after possibly receiving some sort of punishment from the navy, would go back to her own duties.

Elsa snaps back to the present when there's a rapid series of knocks on the door. "Hey! Aren't you coming? I thought you wanted to get off the ship." Even though Anna's familiar voice is muffled by the wood between them, Elsa can still make out the forced cheer in it.

"I'll be out momentarily," Elsa responds after a pause. She takes one last look at her reflection in the mirror, trying not to hate herself for what she's about to do.

* * *

She leaves the ship shoulder-to-shoulder with Anna, Kristoff and Sven only a few steps ahead of them. Sven is sniffing around excitedly, apparently just as relieved to be on land as the others. Anna has made the unusual decision to tie her hair up beneath a dark brown tricorn, only a few copper wisps peeking out from beneath it. The look somehow suits her; she now appears to be a very pretty boy rather than a very pretty girl. When Elsa raised an eyebrow at the choice, Anna only said, somewhat defensively, "What? You can never be too careful in a Summerland territory."

The remark struck an odd note in Elsa—Swann Cove is a place with an unusually small naval presence. Years ago, Summerland had moved most of its navy to other territories that it felt were more compromised—territories where the native peoples or other countries were still disputing Summerland's claims of ownership. The Cove is relatively safe for morally questionable sailors compared to the Southern Isles, where thanks to pirates like Anna, there has been an _increase_ in the navy personnel stationed in the area.

Elsa supposes Anna wants to keep a low profile since she's on the island with peaceful intentions; she had just lectured the crew on buying, not stealing, things they wanted. After all, it would be rotten luck for a pirate to be captured during one of the few times they're doing legitimate business.

Looking around her, Elsa sees that Swann Cove hasn't changed much from the last time she was there. The port is bustling with sailors of various backgrounds, from shady characters who most likely dealt in illegal trading to men in rich clothing aboard fancy ships. Only steps away from the port are all kinds of bars, pubs, and brothels—places to meet the very diverse needs of sailors (that is, booze and sex).

When they are formally out of the port, Anna skips a step ahead and tugs on Kristoff's shirt, matching his quick pace.

"Do you have the list for me?" she asks him expectantly, hand already outstretched.

Elsa catches up with the pair in time to see Kristoff roll his eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty," he smarms, wincing at the hard smack Anna gives him at that before handing over a sheet of parchment and pointing at a certain item on it. "These are for Sven specifically. The butcher should have a good deal of them and don't let him charge you—they should be free."

Anna nods absently, lips moving along as she reads the list. "Any last minutes additions from the crew?" she asks, tucking the parchment away in a fold of clothing. "I know Esmeralda wanted another batch of chocolate. You know how she loves it."

It's Kristoff's turn to shove Anna. "Nice try, I know she can't stand chocolate. If you can buy everything else on the list and still have some money left over, then go ahead and get some." Anna claps in excitement and Kristoff rolls his eyes again. "Honestly, you're the captain. Just get what you want."

"But you're in charge of the money. I don't want to go against Your Highness' super strict orders," Anna says innocently, batting her eyes at him.

"Oh god," the man groans in exasperation. "Let me just go to the pub and get some alcohol in me, you're too much today."

"Fine," Anna sticks her tongue out at him. She finally turns to Elsa, taking her by surprise. "Do you want to get some supplies with me? Otherwise you can hang with Kristoff or go find Pascal if you'd like. We're going to leave tomorrow at dawn so do whatever you'd like for the rest of the day."

Elsa stops in her tracks, wondering if the moment of her abandoning Anna has really come so soon. "I…" she says uncertainly, looking between the pair. "I'll just go with Kristoff!" she blurts out without thinking. The longer she spent in Anna's company, the more likely her resistance would crumble and she would be back aboard the pirate's ship.

Anna and Kristoff amusingly raise their eyebrows at the same time. "I just really need a drink," Elsa finishes lamely, though it's definitely one of the most truthful things she's said in the last few weeks.

"Then I'll be starting on this list." Anna says decisively after the surprise passes. Her gaze lingers on Elsa for a moment and she reaches out to squeeze her hand. When she lets go, Elsa looks down and sees a good amount of gold coins in her palm. "For some drinks," Anna clarifies. "I'll find you guys later." With that, she gives Sven a pat on the head and heads off into the town square.

Kristoff remains frozen in place for a moment; he probably hadn't anticipated having Elsa as a drinking companion. Sven goes behind him and nudges him forward, forcing Kristoff to start walking again. "Are you familiar with Swann Cove?" Kristoff asks uncertainly.

"Yes, I've been here a few times," Elsa says, feeling just as awkward as him. The two of them aren't necessarily _friends_ and for some reason, Kristoff is looking a little red around the ears. "Did you have a place in mind?" Elsa prompts him, since they seem to be walking rather aimlessly.

"Hah…" Kristoff rubs at the back of his neck. "You see, I didn't think you'd actually want to come with me. I was, umm. Looking to go to a place ladies aren't usually interested in." His eyes dart meaningfully to a building with a hanging sign featuring a heavily made-up woman in a revealing dress. _The Red Woman_ , it was apparently called. "But I don't have to go!" he says quickly. "If y-you wanted a drinking buddy or something, I could—"

"It's okay," Elsa interjects, trying to pretend she is _not_ amused by Kristoff's rambling. "Go…enjoy yourself," she says, lips twitching.

Kristoff hangs his head. "You should check out the Poison Apple Bar. They have some good drinks," he mumbles before speed-walking over to The Red Woman, Sven trotting alongside him.

Elsa shakes her head after him, though this honestly isn't much of a surprise to her. A significant number of her own men would abandon ship if they saw a brothel floating in the middle of the ocean. She makes her way through the town, face angled slightly upward to read the signs on the buildings. She isn't usually one to drink and whenever she came to Swann Cove, it was in Anna's position—to restock the ship. The bars and pubs in the area aren't all that familiar to her.

After ten minutes of searching around, she finally comes across The Poison Apple. It looks like a surprisingly nice place despite its questionable name. The inside is clean and relatively quiet, most of the patrons looking to be regulars. Once Elsa manages to catch the attention of the bartender, she asks for a glass of white wine.

When the bartender returns, she absently hands him a few of Anna's coins and he takes them with a raised eyebrow. Very purposefully, he sets down an entire wine bottle in front of her and pockets her money.

Elsa looks at what money she has left and realizes with a jolt that Anna had given her enough to get both suitably drunk on as well as barter her way onto a Southern Isles-bound ship. Essentially, she had given Elsa enough money to run away on.

"Always so trusting…" Elsa murmurs, sipping her wine. After so long without any alcohol at her disposal, the taste is tart and almost hard to swallow but the warmth pools in her stomach well enough. She soon pours herself another glass, a little relieved there aren't too many people around to see her nursing a bottle by herself.

After a couple of drinks, the reality of her situation hits her. She's never going to see Anna again. She didn't say goodbye, didn't hug her one last time or make it clear that she wouldn't be coming back to the ship. She was just going to vanish. Anna would wait until tomorrow, maybe even delay the ship for a while to see why Elsa had failed to return. Elsa can't imagine what her face would look like; surely she would be angry that her prisoner had run off.

(She knows that's a lie—Anna would be devastated by her disappearance but it hurts less to pretend otherwise.)

She fills her third glass up with shaking hands at the thought, even though she's only just beginning to feel the alcohol. She can drink most of her men under the table without too much trouble, but right now it feels more like she's…emotionally inebriated, if such a ridiculous thing exists.

There's a muddled, syrupy sensation pulsing in her head whenever she thinks about her new course of action. It's miles better than her last laughable plan (god, what a mistake _that_ had been), but it makes her feel even worse somehow.

Because she believes Anna, despite her deviant ways, deserves to be happy. She could have made Anna happy, could have been by her side for all of her adventures. But Elsa knows that would mean betraying her own way of life. Despite the fact that Pascal, in more than one of their talks, kept bringing up his (admittedly intriguing) notions of freedom, she knew that a life of piracy wasn't in the cards for her.

Her chest joins in on the annoying feelings going on in her head and she sighs deeply. There's no point in overthinking any of this. The decision is the best for both of them, it really is, and—

She's brought out of her annoyingly depressing and repetitive thoughts by a hand roughly shaking her shoulder. She turns to glare at the perpetrator—couldn't they see she wanted to get drunk in peace?—and her anger dissipates as recognition settles in its place.

Because it's Wilhelm Stabbington, one half of the questionable sibling duo she had questioned on the Southern Isles.

The shock of seeing his marred face so abruptly is deep enough for her to not realize he's guiding her to a corner table until she's already there. His brother stands up from the table and gives her an ugly smile in greeting. "Captain," he says, voice just as gravelly as she remembers, "there's someone here that wants to meet you."

There's no other explanation given for why she was manhandled across the bar, and Wilhelm jerks his thumb towards the sole occupant of the table before he and his brother make their way to new seats, pints in hand.

The stranger—Elsa can clearly see from the broad shoulders and short hair that it's a man who wants to talk to her—has his back to her and is swirling a glass of wine. "Please have a seat, Captain Norling," he says without turning around. His tone is calm and polite, but nonetheless catches her attention.

 _He knows my title_.

That meant the Stabbington brothers had, for some mysterious reason, filled this man in on her information. Curiosity gets the better of her and she slowly walks to the seat across from him, lowering herself into it.

The stranger is surprisingly handsome and cuts a dashing figure in his expensive clothing, looking out of place in the somewhat lower-class bar. Elsa can't help but notice that he has the same sun-kissed, coppery hair as Anna. The similarity is enough for her to give him a small nod in greeting.

He scans her before speaking, green eyes taking in her clothing and face in a way that should feel invasive but instead feels almost friendly. "I apologize for any rough treatment you may have received at the hands of my associate," he starts off, nodding towards the Stabbington brothers. "My name is Hans Sorveig. I'm the youngest prince of Summerland," he adds in an unusually self-effacing manner.

Elsa raises an eyebrow at the title. It's more than a little rare to see royalty walking around town, even if they were the youngest of their line. "I'd introduce myself but it seems you already know who I am," she says dryly, made slightly bolder than usual by the wine swimming through her veins.

His pale face flushes slightly and he looks down at his wine glass. "Yes, that's true. Elsa Norling, Captain in the Royal Navy of Corona. Last seen in the Southern Isles a month ago." He looks up again, eyes flashing with interest and something Elsa can't pinpoint. "Allegedly taken captive by the Summer Princess and her crew."

Silence settles between them. Hans fills the lull in conversation by pouring wine into a spare glass and sliding it towards Elsa. His hands, she notices, are gloved despite the heat outside. She raises her eyes and is surprised to find an almost anxious look pass his face.

When their eyes meet, Hans looks away and exhales an unsteady breath. "I…" he starts quietly. He straightens up and looks at her directly, finding his voice again. "I don't know if your crew mistook the pirate who took you captive, or if you were held captive at all. After all, you're walking around freely in Swann Cove," he waves a dismissive hand. "I don't care about any of that. All I want to know is if you've actually seen the Summer Princess."

There's a sort of desperateness to his words that doesn't suit his otherwise elegant appearance. He takes a calming sip of wine while he waits for her answer.

"I've seen her before," she replies softly, not really sure of why she's indulging him. Perhaps it's because he doesn't seem like much of a threat to either her nor Anna, and his demeanor is not of someone who is interested in capturing pirates.

He nods, running a hand through his hair. Unexpectedly, a wistful smile comes to his face. "She's pretty, isn't she?" he says in a voice as quiet as hers. "Blue eyes, hair about the same as mine, small build."

Elsa makes an affirmative sound, not thrown off balance by his description. After all, if he had been asking around about Anna, the Stabbington brothers would have provided him details—their memory of Anna stealing their rum seems to be burned into them.

No, it's the next part that stuns Elsa. After a moment Hans continues in the same affectionate voice, "Anna's amazing with a sword, bright, cheery all the time, cares for others more than she should, probably more than they deserve. Has a sweet tooth when it comes to chocolate."

"H-how do you…?" Elsa is staring at him, suddenly feeling very sober. The brothers definitely wouldn't know _those_ kinds of details about Anna. Only someone who had spent a decent amount of time with her would be aware of those traits. But that didn't make sense, did it? "How does a prince know so much about a pirate?" she finally manages to ask.

Hans lets out a small laugh, the sound warm and a little dazed. "That's the thing!" He leans forward, excitement clear in the lines of his body. "She's not a pirate, not really. I knew her when she was a lady-in-waiting for Arendelle's royal family."

The news stuns Elsa into silence. She's automatically opens her mouth to argue, even as her mind runs through the various hints Anna unknowingly laid out for her. The fact that she said she lived in a castle, that a swordmaster had taught her to fight, even the Arendelle flag she had hanging in her cabin...

"This is impossible," Elsa says flatly, though she sees that it's very likely. She glances up at Hans, sees unexpected sympathy for her clear in his eyes. She tries to pick apart his assertion. "Anna said she was shipwrecked. She said her father had died, as well as everyone else on the ship. Another member of the crew corroborated her story, said he had picked her up from the island."

But Hans is already shaking his head in disagreement. "Those were all lies," he tells her, almost looking like he wants to reach across the table and put a comforting hand on her arm. "I don't know who this other crewmember is, but they were both lying to you. Anna simply ran away one night. She had stolen quite a few valuables before she left, much to the annoyance of the royal family. But her parents aren't dead. They're both alive and worried sick about her."

He grimaces before continuing, "Anna and I…we were childhood friends. We used to play together whenever my family visited Arendelle. She had always had these fantasies about being a pirate, even in her youth. The Arendelle swordmaster helped fuel these fantasies by teaching her to fight in secret. I only found out because I accidentally saw them once and was sworn to never tell anyone. I promised I wouldn't, but if I had known how it would affect her, how it would…encourage her to take such drastic actions, I would have told her father immediately."

Hans pauses to take another sip of wine, seemingly surprised to find his glass empty. He places it back on the table without refilling it. A look of sick regret finds its way onto his face as he speaks again, "Her father is a good man. He knew how close Anna and I were, so when she disappeared he asked me to look for her. That was about a year ago. I had no luck, no leads, until the Summer Princess sprung into existence. I had taken to conducting interviews with those who met her, since something in me was convinced me that this new pirate was Anna. When I went to the Summer Isles, it was shortly after you left. I found the Stabbington brothers, who gave me the description I was hoping for…Anna's description."

"Wilhelm mentioned that a captain in the Royal Navy of Corona has also been asking around about the Princess, hoping to capture her. So I waited, hoping to gather news about you or Anna. When your crew came back a few weeks later, they said you had been taken captive." Hans chuckles at a memory. "I was so annoyed with you," he says ruefully.

Elsa narrows her eyes at him and he elaborates, "If you had captured her, I could have found out where she was taken, could have saved her from whatever sentence she might have gotten. Instead, I lost track of you both. But since the Stabbington brothers were helpful to me and were also eager to find Anna, I invited them to Swann Cove with me. My family has property outside of town where we've been staying for the past few weeks. If it weren't for the Stabbingtons' decidedly unhealthy fixation on alcohol, you and I would never have crossed paths. Wilhelm recognized you when you were at the bar and I could hardly believe it, but here we are."

Hans pours himself another glass of wine, then tops off Elsa's glass. She takes a sip without hesitation—his story is almost too much for her. Because it means that everything Anna's ever said to her was a lie. She had been right to guess that Anna's origins as a pirate began with her running away from home. But when Anna, sweet Anna with tears in her eyes, told her of a shipwreck and a dead father, Elsa had been almost eager to accept it. It was a sadder, more romantic tale than what she had imagined. She should have known it was a lie.

And that was just the beginning. Knowing that she had run away from what seemed to be a perfect life, abandoning her friends and family in order to steal valuables and fight people…it was almost sickening.

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asks, wanting nothing more than to be left alone with these new revelations. The dislike she had tried so hard to build against Anna now appears, coiling around her insides, tightening around her heart. This is more than just dislike, it's betrayal and anger at being ensnared so effortlessly in Anna's cheerful lies.

"I thought that was obvious," Hans states, interrupting her dark thoughts, "I would like you to help me bring her back to where she belongs. She's a noblewoman masquerading as a pirate. This is all just…" he grasps for the right words, "toy swords and treasure hunts to her. But if she's caught, she will go to prison. The royal family has promised to forgive her thievery and her parents want her to return home. You could help me get her back to Arendelle safely."

So that's it? Anna would be able to return to the place she fled from, with only a slap on the wrist as punishment despite all the mayhem she's caused? Earlier Elsa would have wanted nothing more but have her continue being a pirate, was willing to let her go for both their sakes. But this new alternative grates against her in the light of the truth.

Still, she realizes that these new emotions bubbling to the surface aren't helping her think clearly, and neither is the wine, which Hans has helpfully refilled again. Despite what Hans has said, Elsa still doesn't want to see Anna in prison or walking towards the gallows. Anna's personality, even by Hans' own admission, is the same as it's always been. She's always been sweet and caring of others. That's what makes up her mind.

"I can help you bring her back to Arendelle," Elsa says confidently.

She gets a relieved smile in return. "That's great to hear," Hans says sincerely. "And in exchange I can offer you free passage back to your naval station in the Southern Isles if you need it." He hunkers down in front of his glass, suddenly looking very business-like. "Now, where do you think we should start searching? I suppose this would also be a good time for me to ask how you escaped from her—"

"There's no need," Elsa cuts him off, heart beating fast at what's she's about to say. "She's here, in Swann Cove."

Hans jerks up, spilling wine all over his fancy clothing. He ignores the red stains spreading across him and stares intently at Elsa. "Here?" he murmurs. "She's been this close?"

Elsa nods, standing up as well. The room seems to tilt slightly and she holds out a hand for balance. Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see the Stabbingtons coming over to join them. Hans puts his hands his jacket's lapels, straightening them into place. Turning slightly to address the brothers, he says, "Anna's on the island. Wilhelm, gather the crew and get ready to set sail. Jacob, stay with me," his voice is suddenly filled with a cool, commanding tone that takes Elsa off guard, but she supposes that's how a nobleman talks to those underneath him.

"Do you know where she might be?" Hans asks her, barely able to contain his energy despite how many drinks he's had.

"Not exactly, she's buying supplies but she won't be out of town until tomorrow morning. We can start at the butcher's," Elsa responds quickly. She wants this to be over with as soon as possible, to have Anna be safe out of harm's way and herself back into the familiar life of a naval captain. Then she wants to forget that she ever fell for Anna and her fanciful stories.

"Anna most likely won't want to see me since she knows I'll be taking her back to Arendelle, so Jacob and I will follow behind you." Before Elsa turns to leave, Hans grabs her hand. "Thank you," he says earnestly. "You really have no idea how much this means to me."

Elsa takes in his wide, imploring eyes, his grip on her, and the tone of his voice. For a moment, it's almost like Anna's in front of her. She takes her hand back, unsure of how she feels about the sudden similarities. "You're welcome," she says curtly before walking out of the bar.

* * *

Elsa goes to the butcher's, the grocery, a few of the pubs…Anna's in none of them. The sun is starting to set and she's getting tired. The wine mixed with walking under the hot sun gives rise to a vicious headache, but she trudges on regardless. She hasn't seen Hans or Jacob since heading out but she knows they must be close behind her.

She begins to worry that Anna's already gone back to her ship, which would make taking her with Hans nearly impossible—her crew would undoubtedly fight with everything they had if they saw their captain being abducted.

There's only one more shop Elsa hasn't tried yet, off near the docks. When she's close enough to see the store's sign, a pang goes through her chest. _Tiana's Bakery_. Of course Anna would stop by here.

Elsa is about to open the bakery's door when it suddenly hits her, knocking her off balance. "Oh, sorry!" A familiar voice says. Elsa feels a hand tugging her up and she's face to face with Anna.

Somehow, Elsa thought Anna would seem different after her talk with Hans. Maybe her smiles would be sharper and obviously false. Or her cheer would be clearly forced in order to draw Elsa in. Her words would be lies that were now plain as day.

But no, she's still Anna. A breathless smile lights up her face and she's already speaking a hundred words a minute, steering Elsa back towards town. She still has feelings for Anna, Elsa realizes belatedly. Despite the lies and the hurt people she left in her old life, despite her thieving and fighting, Elsa still has feelings for her. Her old companion, guilt, surges up inside her at the thought of what she's taking part in. Even though taking Anna back to Arendelle would be for her own safety, Elsa still feels like she's betraying Ana, ripping her out of a life she's clearly content with.

Elsa forces herself to focus when Anna eventually stops walking. The pirate is suddenly close to Elsa's face, looking at her with concern. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little unsteady on your feet." She lights up with a sudden idea. "Do you need some food? There's a great little sandwich place not far from here. They have all kinds of things, and you can get whatever you'd want—"

"I thought you only had sandwiches with _me_ , Anna." Hans rounds a corner, coming before the two women with a smile on his face. It's not the same relieved smile Elsa saw earlier, but something more triumphant.

Anna stiffens, eyes going wide. "H-Hans…" she whispers, already backing away from him. "Elsa, we need to go back to the ship. _Now_."

"You don't want to catch up with me? I'm hurt," he says, not looking the slightest bit offended. He begins to walk slowly towards her. "You know why I'm here. We're going home, Anna."

"No, no. I'm _never_ going back there." Anna replies, voice more desperate-sounding than Elsa's ever heard. She grabs Elsa's hand and says, "Let's _go_ , please."

But Jacob has come up behind Anna and puts his giant hands on her shoulders. "Not so fast, Anna. Or is it the Summer Princess?" Jacob says, clearly pleased that he's finally able to get even with the pirate. "Remember me?"

Anna goes pale, and _god_ she's trembling. "Please…" she whispers, looking towards Elsa again.

Before Elsa can formulate a response, Hans steps up beside her so they're shoulder-to-shoulder. "Captain Norling, you may be up for a promotion after this," he says conversationally. "Corona will be lucky to have you as a commodore."

The look of shock Anna gives her is almost enough for Elsa to want to release her from Jacob's grasp and urge her to escape. Anna, who had appeared to be moments away from a breakdown, now has steel glinting in her eyes. "Commodore," she echoes quietly, mouth going into a thin line.

Elsa takes a step towards her, wanting to let her know that this is all for her own good, but Hans puts a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Don't. She won't listen to reason right now. Though rest assured, she'll be back with her family soon."

Anna's head snaps up at that and she bares her teeth at Hans. " _Family_?" she says incredulously. "What are you—" A piece of cloth is forced into her mouth by Jacob, who ties the ends behind Anna's head, knocking off her hat in the process. Anna fights against him but he's simply too large and he's able to capture both of her wrists in one of his hands.

"Is that really necessary?" Elsa asks Hans as the four of them make their way into the docks. She's doing the right thing, she _knows_ she is, but she's starting to feel like she's made a mistake.

Hans shrugs, unconcerned. "She'll start telling lies again or attract attention. I promise that the gag will be taken off as soon as we're on board." Behind them, Elsa can still hear Anna struggling against Jacob, but she forces herself to keep her eyes forward.

The ship they soon stop at is huge, made of fine, dark wood and those on board are all wearing Summerland colors. Hans greets a few of the crewmembers and makes requests that Elsa can't hear. All around them, the crew readies the ship to leave Swann Cove.

Hans makes a motion towards Jacob and Elsa turns to see him untie Anna's gag. She flinches away from him as soon as he does so, chest heaving and eyes wild. She looks at everyone on the ship like they're potential enemies before her gaze lands on Hans and Elsa. She takes a purposeful step towards them but Jacob yanks on the back of her shirt collar, causing her to fall.

Elsa's heart clenches at the sight. Anna should know that these people mean her no harm, right? Why is she fighting so hard against them? Uneasiness begin to sink into Elsa.

Anna suddenly turns around sends her fist straight into Jacob's solid gut. He laughs and slaps her away almost casually. The motion makes her fall again but it's clear she's tired and she struggles to get up this time. Jacob steps purposefully on her hand, pinning her to her spot.

Hans releases a tired sigh and Elsa finally looks at him. His eyebrow is raised and he's shaking his head in disdain. The earnest man she met at the bar is gone; in his place is someone much more calculating. The warmth apparent in his voice when he spoke about Anna is now replaced with smug self-assurance when he suddenly says, "I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you, Captain. Anna's not a lady-in-waiting."

He walks over to Anna and drops to his knee in front of her. Elsa stays rooted to her spot, unable to move as he continues to talk. "Meet my fiancée," he coos at Anna, grabbing her chin and jerking it towards Elsa, "the future Queen of Arendelle."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the tardiness of this chapter, I hit a few difficult spots in writing this. And to add some shameless self-promotion, I've also been working on another Frozen story called [Kill of the Night](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2027052/chapters/4397442)...so yeah, check it out if you like my writing. Enjoy!

"Meet my fiancée," Hans coos at Anna, grabbing her chin and jerking it towards Elsa, "the future Queen of Arendelle."

The world seems to tilt for a moment, making Elsa think they've already set sail. But no, the ship is still docked. It's just _Elsa_ who can't find her balance

_She's...royalty? A princess, a queen?_

Anna wrenches out of his grip but stays silent. So damningly _silent_ , refusing to contradict his claim. Her eyes land on Elsa and her lips curl up in hostility. She's still all fight, every line of her body so tense that it's almost painful to look at her. Elsa finds that she's not strong enough to—she casts her eyes downwards, preferring to see the whorls in the planks rather than an Anna with hate brewing in her eyes.

Hans heaves a put-upon sigh and steps away from the Anna, as if her behavior is something he has to deal with far too often. "I apologize for the princess, Captain," he says, and Elsa looks up. "Even before she was taken, she was quite the handful."

Elsa's eyebrows draw in confusion but before she can respond, Hans' eyes catch her and he subtly shakes his head. "Let's talk somewhere a little more private, shall we?" When he comes close enough to tug on her forearm, he adds in a low voice, "Don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to talk to Anna later, if you so desire."

(It's not cowardly when she focuses on matching his long stride instead of throwing a backwards glance towards Anna. It's not cowardly that she doesn't want to see the betrayal so clear on Anna's face, knowing she's responsible for putting it there. It's _not_.)

The officer's quarters she finds herself in just moments later is as nice as the rest of the ship, full of dark wood, a surprisingly large bed, and with two plush chairs on either side of a small table. Hans takes the far seat and gestures for Elsa to take the other.

"Now," he starts with no ado, "you said you were captured by Anna, is that correct? She certainly didn't greet you like a prisoner."

While he lost some of his arrogance in the short trip from the deck to these quarters, he has also dropped the earnest, worried façade present when they first met. "I was a prisoner," Elsa admits eventually, tamping down on her doubts about Hans for the moment. "Though only for a short while. She…she was thinking about letting me join her crew."

That had been a bigger mistake than Anna ever could have imagined.

As if reading her thoughts, Hans gives a derisive snort. "Typical Anna. Like I told you, she trusts people more than they deserve."

The words aren't said lovingly but dismissively, as if 'trust' is nothing more than a defect in personality, a weakness.

Hans continues on, focusing his eyes on her own to make sure she's paying attention. "I gave you my word; you will be dropped off at the Southern Isles before Anna and I continue on to Arendelle. But we must settle one thing first."

"And what's that?" Elsa asks, not bothering to contain her wariness. She's liking the man less by the moment, and while Anna didn't refute the claim that they were engaged, he seems to have little interest in the redhead as a person. _Perhaps he's also one Anna made a mistake in trusting._

He leans back in his seat, blinking in surprise and seemingly caught off-guard by her tone. "I-I'm sorry if I've somehow offended you, Captain," he starts uncertainly. "If this is about Anna, you must understand that the somewhat… _rough…_ treatment she's been subjected to discomfits me as well. But she was the one who ran away, became a _pirate_ of all things, when she was living a luxurious life," he shakes his head, unable to comprehend how someone could want to leave a castle for a ship. "I also apologize for lying to you about her bloodline; I didn't want to cause a commotion if anyone in the bar were to overhear us. That may sound like weak reasoning, but I'm too careful for my own good. Everyone else thought the princess had vanished; I was the only one who was searching for her."

While he was speaking, Elsa was careful to watch his mannerisms. He had slipped back into his kind, sincere persona again. His words were meant to soothe her, to open her up. Elsa's not sure who to believe—the man who searched across the sea for his fiancée, or the man who, upon finally finding her, spoke to and about Anna as if she were nothing more than a wayward pet.

"I accept your apology," Elsa says somewhat stiffly, because he looks like he's waiting for a response. She doesn't mean the words though, not until he can prove to be a man worthy of Anna.

"Good," he says, shoulders sagging in relief. "I would hate for you to be angry with me, especially considering what I would like you to do."

Elsa leans forward, putting her elbows on the table. "What is it?"

"I don't know how familiar you are with politics, but international relations are somewhat... _delicate_ when it comes to matters of missing royalty. It hasn't happened often, and most of the time the royals are found dead or are eventually ransomed back to their country. Anna's case is…quite unusual, to say the least."

 _At least we can agree there,_ Elsa thinks, forcing herself not to give in to the ridiculousness of this entire situation and laugh. Honestly, a pirate princess. How much more absurd could one get?

"So I hope you can see how her becoming a pirate, a criminal of the high seas, can be problematic for both her country and my own, as I will be marrying her," Hans leans forward as well, looking more serious than before. "We cannot say that she willingly became a pirate. She was _taken_ by a pirate, the Summer Princess to be exact."

"Wait—" Elsa starts, taken aback by how great of lie he wants to tell.

"She was taken," Hans insists, voice raising over hers. "And you rescued her from the Summer Princess. She was a fellow prisoner on the ship. This happened while both our ships were docked at Swann Cove and I assisted in your escape, reuniting with Anna in the process. This is the only way Anna can get out of any trouble she might otherwise encounter in Arendelle, how you can get called a hero, and how I can still marry Anna like I was supposed to. We all win in this scenario. In this particular case, the truth does no one any good. So, do I have your cooperation?"

Lies. She's known nothing but lies since she met Anna. She buried herself in them while earning Anna's trust, had listened to Hans tell her lies in order to capture Anna. Now he wanted her to be complicit in a lie of historical proportions. Arendelle's history books would speak not of a princess who became a pirate because she thought it was fun, but one who was abducted by them, forced to become a prisoner until her heroic soon-to-be husband rescued her.

Elsa is so _sick_ of lies.

She stays silent long enough for Hans to start getting uncomfortable. It seems like he thought this would be an easy 'yes', but Elsa doesn't want to grant him his one request without serious consideration.

He breaks the silence with a simple, guilt-inducing sentence. "Think where Anna will end up otherwise," he says quietly, lips going thin in thought.

His shot is well-aimed, meant to pierce the one spot he knows is vulnerable. Because it's been that obvious from the beginning, hasn't it? He can tell she's not motivated by idea of glory and medals. No, all she wants is for Anna to be safe.

"Fine," she spits out, promising herself that this is the first and last lie she would tell for Hans' sake. "I'll corroborate your story and tell it to my superiors."

Hans finally smiles at her, looking satisfied. "I'm glad to hear it. Those on this ship will also go along with this story, so there is no need to worry about contradicting claims. And Anna…everyone will think she's in shock if she says anything too strange." He stands up and runs an absentminded hand through his hair. "I have business to attend to before dinner. If you'd like to talk to her, Anna is in the brig," he grimaces suddenly, realizing how that must sound. "She wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I would offer her my sleeping quarters but it will take some time before she can forgive me for pulling her out of her newfound life of _adventure_ ," he spits out the word 'adventure' like it's a placeholder for other, much more unpleasant words.

Elsa stands as well, not even bothering to respond before heading back outside. She's had enough of the handsome man for one day; it feels like the longer she's with him, the more he grates against her.

Still…where else does she have to go? Hans said Anna would be in the brig, but would it really be a good idea to see her right now? Anna would definitely still be angry at her, might not even talk to her at all.

She watches Hans' men prepare to cast away from the dock and into the open water at the mouth of the cove. The sun is finally setting and she knows it will most likely take four days to reach the Southern Isles.

The reality of having so little time left with Anna hits her, and before she knows it she's walking towards the brig. _I need to see her, for her sake and my own. Because after this, it will truly be goodbye._

The brig is surprisingly spacious and only contains one large cell instead of several smaller ones. The inside of the cell has all the basic amenities as Anna's own, though the quality of the supplies are higher—Hans must have anticipated from the start that Anna would be staying down here.

Anna herself is sitting cross-legged on the bed and looks up at the sound of Elsa coming near her. Her hair is in disarray and her fine shirt is stretched out near the collar, most likely from being tugged around by the Stabbingtons.

Her bright eyes stay locked on Elsa as Elsa finds a stool and drags it in front of the bars. Her gaze is unsettling—Anna's looking at her like she's seeing a complete stranger. Which, Elsa supposes, is true in a way.

The silence continues on between them, becoming brittle. One of Anna's hands has a white-knuckled grip around her forearm as if it's the only thing holding her together. She finally takes her eyes off Elsa, focusing instead on her lap.

"You don't know what you've done to me," Anna finally says, voice quiet and measured.

It was a mistake for Elsa to come down here so soon after talking to Hans—she's still angry at him, at this whole strange situation. Her frayed nerves finally snap. "Then tell me, _Princess_ ," she says, surprised at the vitriol in her tone. Anna flinches at hearing the title on Elsa's lips. "Tell me why you've been playing at being a pirate all this time. Was castle life too boring for you?"

The moment the words are out of her mouth, she feels horrible. She shouldn't be taking her frustrations out on Anna, but it's already too late to apologize; Anna narrows her eyes and her posture stiffens.

"I wasn't playing at anything," she snaps, springing up and walking towards Elsa. "And you have no idea what you're talking about."

Fine. If Anna doesn't want to admit she's made a mistake that touched who know how many lives, Elsa won't be the one to back down first. "All you're going to get is a slap on the wrist before you go back to your perfect life. It must be nice, being a member of royalty."

Anna flinches like she's been slapped, and her lips press into a thin line. "It would be easier for you, wouldn't it? If I were just some happy little princess who's only interested in the latest fashions and parties? I think you know that's not who I am, and that I want _nothing_ to do with that life. Not anymore."

Elsa, already passed the point of no return, tries to forge ahead. "Hans told me—" she starts.

"He told me all sorts of things as well," Anna cuts her off bitterly. "Things I wanted to hear. Doesn't mean they were true." Just like that, her anger is extinguished and replaced with something more hopeless. Her hand reaches out and grasps one of the metal bars between them, not to get closer to Elsa but so she can support herself against it. Her other hand follows suit and her head hangs between her shoulders.

"Why…" the princess' voice is thin, sounding like it might break at any moment. "Why did you do this to me? From the very beginning, was this your plan? I trusted you and y-you _seduced_ —" she chokes, unable to finish the sentence. Teardrops dot the floor between her feet but she stays rooted to her spot.

Elsa's own flash-fire anger is gone as well. She feels hollowed out, with only some kind of bone-deep exhaustion to keep her company. She longs to settle her hands over Anna's, cup her face and wipe the tears away. She settles instead on what she _can_ do—finally tell the truth. "I was sent to capture the Summer Princess," she starts quietly. "That's all it was at first. But after Kanoa, I realized my heart wasn't in the assignment anymore." A safe way of saying her heart had a change of ownership—from the navy into Anna's hands. "I was going to let you go on Swann Cove. I was going to go back to my CO empty-handed."

One of Anna's hands twists around the bar and she pushes herself away from it. When she looks up at Elsa, her eyes are red-rimmed and sharp and wet trails are visible on her cheeks. "You were going to leave instead," she repeats flatly. "With no explanation, no goodbye? How _gutless_ of you," she taunts, lips curling unpleasantly.

Elsa grits her teeth. Anna certainly isn't making this easier for her. "I was trying to do the right thing. I still think I did." Despite Hans' unconventional methods of finding and capturing his bride, Elsa knows that Anna will be safer with his support than without it.

"You are so wrong," Anna mutters more to herself than Elsa. She's seated herself back on the bed, her body in profile to Elsa.

"Then feel free to set me straight," Elsa snaps, "I'm tired of all this. I've only heard secondhand stories about you. The only thing _you_ ever told me was that your father died and you were stranded on Kanoa." There's enough doubt in her tone for Anna to turn incredulously towards Elsa.

"You need to brush up on your politics, _Captain_ ," Anna throws back at her. "My father died on the ship with me, exactly like I said. Whatever Hans told you was a lie. A stupid one too, considering he had absolutely nothing to gain from it."

Embarrassment burns Elsa's cheeks a deep red. There had been reason enough for him to tell it—the lie had helped him sway Elsa to his side. Which made her think…what else had he lied about? And he must have known a naval captain would know next to nothing about Arendelle, the small, private country with no overseas colonies.

Anna continues on, heedless of Elsa's growing doubts, "The only thing I ever lied about was finding the treasure on Kanoa."

"He also said you were childhood friends…" Elsa responds quietly, feeling like a parrot repeating the man's stories.

"Oh, we were. He was the best friend a young princess could have," she says, shifting on the edge of her bed to get a better look at Elsa. "He was whatever I needed him to be. A prince, an adventurer…a pirate. After awhile, I realized I was in love with him." There's no happiness in her reminiscing. When her eyes continue to stay locked on Elsa, Elsa realizes it's because she wants to see her reactions. Wherever this story is going, Elsa is sure it won't be good.

"It wasn't an ideal match," Anna recalls, "he was the youngest of thirteen sons in a relatively minor branch of nobility. But my father saw how happy he made me, how in love I was. He thought he saw a good man in Hans. So we became engaged with my father's blessing. I thought everything would be perfect. Even if I had little interest in being a queen, at least I would have an adoring husband by my side."

The smile that comes over her face isn't her usual carefree one. No, it's bitter and sad and _wrong_. "But he told me everything after the engagement party. He told me that he had been using me right from the start in order to get Arendelle's crown, that this would be nothing more than a marriage of convenience for him. I don't know why he said it all—perhaps so he wouldn't have to pretend he had feelings for me for the rest of his life, or maybe he just wanted someone to appreciate his grand scheme. And who better to than his dear fiancée?"

Elsa closes her eyes. The pieces of this ugly puzzle were starting to fit together.

Anna goes on mercilessly, seeming to enjoy the realization dawning on Elsa's face. "Arendelle isn't as… _forward thinking_ as Corona. Men are the rulers, even by marriage. Hans was the only one who could have gotten the marriage annulled unless I had physical evidence of any mistreatment or extramarital affairs. And of course," that smile is back again and Elsa forces herself not to look away from its sharpness, "he would be nothing but a loving husband to me, providing me with beautiful, auburn-haired babies.

"His one miscalculation was telling me this before the wedding. You see, the engagement party was at his family estate in a Summerland territory. My father and I boarded our ship, Hans being generous enough to provide me with chests of fancy clothes and jewelry; his way of 'soothing my mind' about the whole arrangement. I already told you the next part—my father dies and I end up on Kanoa."

She breaks the story off and reaches for the cask of water near her pillow. Her fingers tremble as she unscrews it. She drinks and drinks until there's not a drop left. In an uncharacteristic display of temper, she throws it as hard as she can at the mirror. It shatters, making Elsa jump.

Anna turns back to her as if nothing happened, but her hands are still twitchy, ready to throw something else. "I had a lot of time to think when I was shipwrecked," she states calmly, though tears have started to well up in her eyes again. "I had wondered how I had gotten to such a place in my life; stranded on an island, my father dead, only boxes and boxes of stupid clothing and jewelry with me. I blamed myself for falling for Hans when I was a child, but I blamed him for everything that happened after. When Kristoff rescued me, I decided to leave Hans and everything else behind. Without me, he wouldn't be able to have Arendelle."

Elsa finally finds her voice again. "You were going to give up your responsibilities to Arendelle, to your people?" She hates herself for asking _this_ question when there were dozens of others to choose from, but she can't help that the word 'responsibility' had been ingrained in her since youth. Even if a queen is mostly just a figurehead, she still had duties to her country—it should be in her blood to care for her people.

"What about my responsibilities to myself?" Anna's voice is barely above a whisper before she tilts her chin up in defiance, reminding Elsa of their first encounter. "Arendelle's been ruled well for hundreds of years. I think it will be fine without me, and especially without Hans." Her face is quick to darken again. "Or it would have been. Things have changed now, haven't they?"

 _She doesn't want pity, she wants a fight_. Elsa doesn't want to give her one, but there is one more thing she needs to know. "Don't act like it was entirely my fault that you were caught. Hans said he had a suspicion that you were the Summer Princess. Why would you pick such a name if you wanted to start a new life?"

"I did it to spite him," she says between gritted teeth. "He used to use it as a term of endearment, I was his little 'summer princess' for years. It was stupid, _arrogant_ of me to do so, but I wanted to know that somewhere in the world, Hans had heard of my new title and he would _know_ it wasn't a coincidence. He would have to live with the fact that I was still alive and not _his_."

Unable to take it anymore, Elsa finally stands, coming close to the bars and slipping her hand through. "I'm sorry all of this has happened to you," she murmurs, "I'm sorry for my part in it."

A small, hopeful part of her believes Anna will stand up and take ahold of it. The rest of her thinks Anna won't move at all. What she doesn't expect is for Anna to start laughing. It's the same laugh as when she was facing Elsa in a swordfight, and when Elsa couldn't put her shirt on correctly. The happy tone of it unnerves Elsa the longer it continues.

Gasping for air and clutching her stomach, Anna finally quiets down. "Do you think I told you this for an _apology_? Do you think any sort of apology could save me from my future?" She stands up, dark amusement still twinkling in her eyes. Walking slowly towards Elsa, she picks her next words slowly, wanting them to cut as deeply as possible, "No, I told you so you can see how much like _Hans_ you are. The only two people I've ever fallen for have both betrayed me."

Anna suddenly grabs Elsa's hand and holds onto it tightly. "I want _nothing_ to do with you anymore," she says in carefully measured tones, only inches away from Elsa. "I don't want to see you again, no matter the circumstances. You've sent me back to the life I was able to escape from once. I was _happy_ , and you ripped that away from me." She shoves Elsa's hand away from her and goes to look out the porthole, her back turned towards Elsa.

Elsa slowly backs up until she hits a wall, hands shaking. The magnitude of what she's done to the person she cared most for pummels her until she can barely stand. " _Anna_ …" the word's a whisper, a plea.

If Anna hears it, she doesn't let it show.

* * *

Elsa ascends from the brig five minutes (or is it five hours?) later, barely able to hold herself together.

She locates her cabin and shuts herself inside, curling up on a bed that's more spacious and softer than Anna's was.

(A bed that's cold and empty, lacking the warmth of a happy, copper-haired girl.)


	7. Chapter 7

When Elsa wakes up, it’s to the sound of arguing outside her door.

“Sir, I really must advise you not to go down there. I will personally deliver her breakfast myself if you wish,” a nervous sounding man says.

“Who is in charge of this ship?” Hans’ voice is impatient and forceful. “You’re just the _cook_. If I want to bring my fiancée her breakfast, I will. It’s bad enough she’d rather stay in the brig than my cabin. The least I can do is share a meal with her.”

The cook’s protests are still continuing even as the sound of high-quality boots fades away from her door. Elsa slowly gets out of bed and puts on one of the clean shirts Hans had provided her.

A frown is already on her face at the words Hans had spoken. There could be no possible way Anna would want breakfast with him, right? Curiosity gets the better of her and she opens her door, squinting against the morning sun.

The scent of fish stew lingers in the air and she is just in time to see a flash of auburn hair descending into the brig. Who Elsa assumes to be the cook is still standing nearby, shaking his head after Hans.

Elsa is tempted to go into the brig as well, aching to hear what the two have to say to each other. It seems like Hans, for whatever reason, is trying to maintain his appearance as a gentleman despite the fact his crew are probably all aware of his true personality. Perhaps he’s trying to get back into character for when he takes Anna back to Arendelle.

More shouting is quick to interrupt her thoughts. Though the exact words are muffled by the wood of the ship, the voices most assuredly belong to Hans and Anna. It’s unnerving—hearing Anna’s voice raised in anger. Even when Anna was talking to her yesterday, the conversation had taken place at a normal level. She must hate Hans on another level all together to show such emotion.

The yelling doesn’t go on for long before a metallic clanging echoes across the deck. Hans storms up from the brig only moments later, his jacket and pants stained with the stew he had brought down to Anna. Ignoring the looks of the crew, Hans swings his cabin door open and slams it shut hard enough to make it rattle.

The cook shuffles awkwardly next to Elsa, unsure what to make of the whole situation. He turns towards her and smiles hesitantly. “His fiancée is a feisty one, eh?” he asks in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Wordlessly, Elsa follows Hans’ example and retreats back into the quietness of her own cabin.

* * *

 

She locks herself in there for most of the trip, only coming out for meals or to feel the sun on her face for a few moments at a time.

She doesn’t visit Anna again since she knows the only thing she will see is a back turned towards her. In her mind she’s gone over countless scenarios in which she could rescue Anna from Hans and their impending wedding, but she comes to the same conclusion every single time.

It’s impossible.

Even if Elsa could get ahold of the brig’s keys, there’s nowhere for them to go. They’re surrounded on all sides by ocean, and the Southern Isles is a Summerland territory—they would be hunted down by whatever naval vessels are stationed there. Elsa would be charged with kidnapping a _princess_ , something that would give her a death sentence with no questions asked.

The only thing she can do is leave.

But that shouldn’t matter, right? As Anna pointed out, she was planning on leaving anyways.

Elsa clutches her head in her hands, feeling sick at sea for the first time in her life.

* * *

 

When they dock in the Southern Isles a few days later, she steps off the ship much as Anna was led onto it—stiff and unwilling. There’s fanfare at the port; Hans graciously escorts her off the ship and into the hands of her commanding officer, who looks painfully smug.

Elsa wonders if Anna is watching the commotion from the tiny porthole of her cell.

* * *

 

In the comfort of his cool, wood-paneled office, her CO has been doing nothing but praising her incessantly for the past hour. Elsa faces the words like she would a storm—with a hard grimace and the hope that it will all be over soon.

“—and you’ve done everything we could have hoped for. A pirate has been killed, a princess returned to her country, and Governor Weselton’s islands are safe once again.”

If he finds it odd that a pirate named the Summer Princess had abducted an _actual_ princess, he doesn’t let on. No, the only thing he ever says about her title is, “What a silly girl she must have been, to pick such a stupid name.”

A flash of anger goes through Elsa at the words. _That silly girl could beat us all in a fight without breaking a sweat._

“But enough about a dead pirate,” he says with a wave of his hand. “You will of course be up for promotion. Commodore Norling has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

“Sir,” Elsa says tightly, her first word since entering the office, “with all due respect, when may I go back to the Northern Isles?”

That stops him short. “Oh, I had assumed you would want to stay in the area,” he said, scratching at his beard in thought. “But if you would like to have your previous post back, I’m sure that can be arranged.”

“Thank you,” she says, relaxing slightly for the first time since being on Anna’s ship. Sailing in this area, where the sun is bright and the sky is blue, would only serve to remind Elsa of her failures regarding Anna. She wants more than anything to go back to the cold, still waters of the north and hope she can pick up the pieces of the life she left behind.

“I’ll see to it,” her CO’s voice cuts through her thoughts. “Expect to set sail by Sunday.” He nods at her and she stands up.

“Yes sir,” she says, saluting him and turning on her heel to walk out of his office.

The humidity hits her as soon as she opens the doors, reminding her that she’s not quite finished with the Southern Isles. She looks towards the port, a pang going through her when she realizes Hans’ ship has already left.

And going with him, against her will, is the only person to ever hold a piece of Elsa’s heart.

* * *

  ** _six weeks later_ **

* * *

 

“Yield!” Elsa yells over the fight, hoping to catch the ear of the pirate captain she’s currently trying to capture.

The man snarls and swipes his sword towards her stomach. She easily counters the strike and twists her sword until the guard locks against the pirate’s blade. In one smooth movement, she disarms him and catches his sword in her left hand.

“Do you surrender?” she asks, pointing both weapons at him. Her breath comes out as slow, steady wisps of white against the frigid air.

He chews over the idea for half a moment before giving her a jerking nod.

Captain Matthews is the third pirate ship she’s captured since returning to the Northern Isles, and her crew is flushed with the thought of so many victories in such a short time back.

“Well done, Captain!” her youngest crewmember says enthusiastically, having come up by her side once the pirates have been locked up. His mop of brown hair has caught a surplus of snowflakes but he doesn’t seem cold at all. A look of terror soon overtakes his features. “I-I’m sorry, Commodore! No disrespect meant—”

Elsa shakes her head tiredly. “None taken,” she says. “Just…go back to your duties, Seaman Olaf.”

The young man stands stock still, seemingly unable to comprehend why she hasn’t chewed off his head for calling her by her prior title. “Yes! Yes, Captain—Commodore!” he finally says, scurrying away to find his mop and bucket to clean away the remnants of the fight.

Elsa sighs after him before entering her private quarters, already hearing whispers of her lack of reprimand for the young sailor swirling around her. Her cabin boy has lit a few candles to ward off the darkness and in the flickers of light, Elsa sees that he also laid out a washcloth, a fresh pair of clothes, and had filled her small basin with water.

She strips off her clothes and begins to scrub herself down, not caring that the water is more than a little cool. Even after being gone for almost two months, she’s found the transition from south back to north has been an easy one, at least physically. In a way, the cold complements her personality better now than it ever did before.

(It’s somehow easier to curl up under her bed sheets and blame the chill in the air instead of memories still raw and close to the surface. Memories of a furious, copper haired princess and her handsome, _despicable_ husband-to-be.)

Once she’s finished washing, she pulls on her clean clothes, telling herself that the stinging sensation in her chest is from a wound and nothing else. Still, the feeling persists and she slams an angry fist down onto her desk.

_Damn, I can’t even put on a shirt without thinking about her._

The room is suddenly to confining and she wrenches her door open, welcoming the blast of freezing air. The cold makes quick work of her still-drying hair, threading lines of frost amongst the fine blonde strands. The sun had set while she was in the cabin and most of her crew are below deck, their duties completed for the day.

But Elsa is quick to flag down her cabin boy and snaps, “Get me some rum.”

“Rum?” he echoes before withering under her glare. “Of course, Commodore. Right away.” He runs off in the direction of the kitchen, only throwing one confused glance at her on his way. He’s back in a blink of an eye, careful to not slosh any of the liquid out of its mug.

After giving him a curt nod Elsa makes her way to the stern of the ship, where she should have a modicum of privacy. However when she comes to stand by one of the lanterns, she sees Seaman Olaf to be nearby, staring out at the water. He notices her and immediately straightens his posture.

“Evening, Cap—Commodore!” he says, adding a completely unnecessary salute. “I’ll take my leave now.”

“Olaf,” Elsa starts, not wanting to displace the poor boy. “You were here first. There’s no need to leave unless you want to.”

He hesitates for a moment before giving a small nod. “Then I’d like to stay, Ma’am.”

Silence falls between them as they look out at the wake left by their ship. Lost in thought, Elsa takes sip after absent sip of rum, enjoying the warmth unfurling inside her more every minute.

“You never drank rum before,” Olaf says unexpectedly. When she turns slightly to look at him, he continues, “Before you left, I mean. We all thought you hated rum, called it ‘a beverage suited only for the foulest of pirates’…or something.”

 _This boy doesn’t know when to stop talking_ , Elsa thinks dryly. While it’s true she had never indulged in the beverage before she was taken by Anna, she now finds it oddly comforting.

 _Because it’s how you want to remember her_ , a snide voice whispers in her head, _happy and laughing and drinking rum way too early in the day._

“I suppose many of my opinions have changed as of late,” she muses out load, not really speaking to Olaf.

He nods nonetheless, as if her words make sense. “It was the capture, wasn’t it?” he asks, apparently remembering too late that he’s talking to his senior officer in such a casual way. His eyes go wide and he backpedals, “Begging your pardon, Ma’am. That was rude of me—”

“It’s alright,” Elsa says, surprised to feel an amused smile pulling at her lips. “I find your candidness rather…refreshing.” It’s the truth—her crew had been walking on eggshells since her return, possibly due to the fact that she’s been even more unapproachable than ever.

But she’s tired of having no one to speak to. Her crew isn’t the same as Anna’s; they were all assigned to her ship and work under her out of duty rather than loyalty. She’s probably had more personal conversations with Kristoff than her own first mate.

Olaf rubs at his red nose, looking a bit pleased. “I can continue,” he says eagerly. “If you want me to, that is. I like talking.”

Elsa’s smile widens. “By all means, don’t let me stop you.” Ship gossip was always interesting to listen to, especially if it involved her in some way (not that she would ever admit it). Plus, this could be a nice way to distract her from her gloomy thoughts.

Olaf grins back at her. “Wow, great! Most people don’t listen to me. I mean, I get it—I’m the youngest person on the ship but still…” he stops and composes himself. Taking a breath, he continues in a slightly calmer tone, “Umm…some people think you’ve gotten better with your fighting. Which is strange, seeing as you were probably in a cell while on the Summer Princess’ ship.”

“I was,” Elsa mumbles, _but only for a short while_. Perhaps this isn’t the kind of gossip that would improve her mood.

“And then others are saying you seem umm…kinda sad.” Olaf’s eyes dart towards her and then away. “But I think you seem fine!” he adds hastily.

Elsa says nothing, choosing to stay quiet. Taking her silence as permission to continue, Olaf says in a hushed tone, “What was she like, the Summer Princess? When we fought her, I was too far away to get a glimpse at her.”

“She was beautiful.” The words slip out without Elsa’s permission and it feels like she’s experiencing a minor heart attack when Olaf turns to stare at her. Elsa wonders how she can save this situation and hopes what she says next is convincing. “She was, there’s no denying it. But she also stole and fought and could’ve led such a different life if she chose to.” A life with a greedy husband and a hopeless future. A life she’s already returned to.

Olaf nods seriously “All pirates have a choice,” he says unexpectedly and with conviction. “Just like we do. They just chose wrong, that’s all.”

That’s what everything comes down to in the end. Anna chose to become a pirate to escape the life of a princess. Elsa chose to hunt pirates for a career, chose to believe Hans over the woman who had been nothing but kind to her.

But some things weren’t up to choice, were they? Elsa certainly didn’t _choose_ to fall for Anna, nor did she have any control over the fact that she had been dreaming of Anna nearly every night since their separation.

“Are you feeling unwell, Commodore?” Olaf asks worriedly. It’s only then that Elsa realizes her hold on her empty mug is painfully tight. Despite the cold, her body feels flushed and her breathing comes out in short bursts.

“I…I think I will retire to my cabin for tonight,” Elsa forces out, hoping she sounds calm. “Thank you for your time, Seaman Olaf.”

Still in a daze, she stumbles into her cabin and falls onto her bed, mind reeling.

She could have chosen Anna over Hans, but she didn’t. She could have helped Anna escape while on his ship, but she didn’t. She could have…

It’s pointless to think about now. All of that is in the past and will stay there. Anna is hundreds of miles away, has possibly gotten married already.

But Elsa still has a most peculiar feeling swimming in her head. That if it were possible, she would choose a different path.

She would choose to save Anna, even if it cost her everything she knows.

* * *

 

The next scheduled stop is at Wynter Haven’s port; a place where the crew can re-supply the ship and enjoy the feeling of solid ground beneath their feet.

Elsa hasn’t spoken to Olaf since the that night, but she’s been noticing him more than before. His duties mainly involve keeping the ship clean and prevent ice from forming on the wooden floorboards. Despite the fact that he has the lowest standing on the ship, she rarely sees him without a smile on his face. Elsa wonders how she never really took notice of him before unless it was to give him orders. She makes sure to give him time off so he can enjoy the sights of the port for the short time they’re docked.

She doesn’t have any plans for herself while on land except to retrieve the mail from the tiny post office in town. It’s been too long since her crew has heard from their loved ones, as their last stop had been on a small island without any mail service.

But when she is signing off on all the letters and packages, one catches her eye. It’s addressed to her from her commanding officer and is much too bulky to hold only paper. By the time she’s back on the ship and done distributing her crew’s mail, she nearly runs back to her own cabin out of eagerness to open her own.

She carefully tears open the package and a bit of pale blue fabric slips into her lap. Eyes narrowed in suspicion, she takes out what could only be described as the most beautiful dress she has ever seen. The bodice is encrusted with some kind of blue, reflective crystals and translucent sleeves extend from either side of it. Her gaze going lower, Elsa spots a daring slit running up the right side. On the back is a long, gauzy cape with snowflake designs stitched into it.

 _What on earth is this about_? Elsa thinks in bewilderment. Going through the package once more, she comes up with a two folded letters. Recognizing her CO’s handwriting on one of them, she begins to read that one first.

_Commodore Norling,_

_It gives me great pleasure to extend the invitation sent by Prince Hans Sorveig of Summerland to his ball to celebrate his bride’s safe return. Prince Sorveig asked if I would allow for you to be the guest of honor and I agreed without hesitation. He wrote that even though you are a part of Corona’s navy, he was hoping you would agree to wear the dress Princess Anna of Arendelle had custom-made for you. I leave the choice up to you, as you may prefer to wear your officer’s uniform…_

Elsa feels her heart beating hard in her chest as she continues to read. When she’s finished, she rips open the other letter. It reads of a ball for Anna and Hans to ‘recommit’ to one another since they had been apart for so long. At the bottom lists the location and time—it was only two weeks from now in Arendelle.

 _Oh god_.

She was being forced to take part in a celebration she wanted absolutely no part of. If her CO had asked her directly instead of giving her this letter, there’s a chance she would have politely declined. But with it phrased this way, he had made sure she couldn’t say no. And then there was the fact Anna had this dress made for her…

Could that mean she wanted to see Elsa again? The thought of meeting with Anna made her feel sick with nerves.

But still…this could be the only opportunity she has to see how Anna is doing. She stands abruptly and heads outside to begin making all the necessary arrangements to ensure her arrival in Arendelle before the ball. She wouldn’t miss this for the world.

* * *

 

Arendelle is, as it turns out, a difficult place to get to. It’s landlocked, requiring Elsa to travel through a completely different country just to reach its border. By the time she arrives at the a small inn in the shadow of Arendelle’s castle, she only has a night to spare before the ball begins. The lack of water near her makes her feel nervous, as she has never been so far inland.

But even she can admit that Arendelle’s capital city, Amberlase, is one of the most stunning places she’s seen. The cobbled streets are clean and wide, with tidy stone buildings on either side. The locals have put effort into making sure nature can coexist with their town, something that’s evident in all the green squares and community gardens. The castle itself sits behind a stone wall, limiting her view of the lower half. But she can see the towers and spires proudly jutting out, and she wonders if Anna is looking out of one of them.

For a moment she wishes she was back on her ship, away from this complicated mess. But her CO would chew into her if he learned of her absence here and more importantly, she was _not_ going to give up an opportunity to see Anna again.

(Not that she has come up with anything to say to her when they finally meet. Not that she hasn’t been thinking of conversations to start with her since the moment she arrived in Arendelle.)

After a sleepless night and a breakfast she can barely keep down, she begins to get dressed for the party. She hasn’t worn a dress since she was a little girl, and she finds it a bit difficult to put on. But Anna apparently had quite the eye when it came to measuring people; the dress fits like a second skin. The bodice makes her look even slimmer than she normally does and the dress hugs her hips in a way she’s not quite used to. The pair of clear heels she bought from some women’s boutique slip easily onto her feet.

The last thing she has to figure out is her hair. Her usual bun doesn’t seem to go well with the dress, so she instead makes a single, loose braid and sweeps it over her shoulder. Heart still galloping in her chest, she makes her way to the castle with Hans’ invitation clutched in a clammy hand.

After passing through the entrance, she joins the stream of guests towards the ballroom, eyes lingering on the paintings and suits of armor lining the hallway. The ballroom itself has tables off to the sides, keeping the center of the room free for dancing. At the far end is a slightly raised platform with two thrones placed side by side.

Elsa takes a seat at her assigned table, giving tight smiles to every new person to join her there. Waiters buzz around the room, filling every empty glass with white wine. Finally, a man by the door announces, “Princess Anna Arendelle and her fiancé, Prince Hans Sorveig.”

Elsa cranes her head towards the entrance, wanting to catch a glimpse of Anna. Unfortunately, Hans is walking on the side nearest hers, blocking the princess from view. He’s dressed in an elegant white suit with a stiff collar. Red and gold epaulets decorate his shoulders and his smile as he waves to his guests is effortlessly charming.

When the two finally take their seats, she can get a good view of Anna. The strapless, black bodice shows off her freckled shoulders and the skirt is green, with patterns carefully stitched down the sides of it. Instead of being in its usual braids, her hair is in an elegant updo, leaving her neck bare.

The pretty picture is ruined by the look on Anna’s face. It’s subtle enough not to be noticed by the others in the room, but Elsa can see it clear as day. It’s the hopeless look of a trapped bird, once free and now forced into a tiny cage. Elsa has to clench her fists in her lap in order to refrain herself from rushing over to her.

When Hans has everyone’s attention, he calls over a nearby waiter and grabs a glass of wine off his tray. “I would like to make an announcement,” he says as he begins to stand up, his voice confident and filling every corner of the room, “We have with us today a very special guest. A woman who braved the wrath of the Summer Princess and rescued my beautiful fiancée. I will forever be in her debt, for no moment in my life has been as sweet as when I was reunited with Anna. Commodore Norling, will you please stand up?”

Excited murmurs erupt around the room. On unsure legs, Elsa stands and can’t stop her eyes from going to Anna. The color has slowly drained from the princess’ face and her eyes widen in shock. Her eyes go quickly to Hans, who has gently touched her arm to signal her to stand. She does so, though her gaze is now fixed somewhere behind Elsa. The waiter offers her some wine and she takes it thoughtlessly.

Hans lifts his glass into the air and says, “I would like everyone to raise their glasses to Commodore Norling, who Arendelle owes a great debt.” All the guests comply and take a sip of their wine. Anna is still holding hers in front of her, neither toasting Elsa nor taking a drink. She sits back down as quickly as possible, a stony expression beginning to set on her face.

The reaction is strange, as if Anna didn’t expect Elsa to show up. But before she has time to linger on it, music begins to play and she’s being asked to dance by three different people at once. She chooses one at random and they go to the floor. He is saying something to her and his hands are resting lower than she’d like, but she drowns him out. Instead, she focuses on Anna. She too has been asked to the floor, and she seems to be avoiding looking over at Elsa.

It’s the same, dance after dance—Elsa keeps an eye on Anna while the other woman studiously ignores her. When Anna eventually takes a break, a small cluster of women suddenly surround her and start chatting. Anna nods absently at them, though she seems to be listening to them just as much as Elsa is listening to her dance partners. After some time of this, Elsa reaches a reluctant conclusion.

Anna doesn’t belong here.

There may have been a time where she fit in amongst the women with poufy dresses and the latest gossip on their lips, but that time has long passed. With her sun-kissed skin and bold freckles, she stands out in the crowd of pale aristocrats.

When Elsa finds that her female partner is speaking of her favorite places to get her hair done, she wonders how Anna could’ve ever gotten along with these people.

No longer being able to be so close to Anna without talking to her, Elsa breaks away from her partner and makes her way across the room. Anna finally takes notice of her and stiffens, looking like she wants to bolt.

Cutting into the group of women around her, Elsa holds out a hand and says with more confidence than she feels, “May I ask for a dance, Princess?” The women titter and look expectantly at Anna.

Anna’s lips thin into a hard line and she stares down at Elsa’s hand without making a move to take it. “Well go on, then!” one of the ladies says, giving Anna a gentle push towards Elsa.

“My savior certainly deserves a dance,” Anna says cuttingly, though it seems like Elsa is the only one to notice. After another pause, she grasps Elsa’s hand with more force than strictly necessary and leads them to the dancefloor.

Elsa, being the taller one, puts her hands on Anna’s shoulders. In return, Anna’s arms loosely circle Elsa’s hips, with only the tips of her fingers touching her lower back. They take a moment to orient themselves to the music and then begin to move.

“What do you want?” Anna asks after a moment, agitation threatening to bubble over.

“I was told to come here by my superior,” Elsa answers, though it’s probably not what Anna meant. “Though I don’t know I would have if it weren’t for the dress.” At that, Anna’s eyebrows draw together in puzzlement. Elsa softly adds, “It’s beautiful. Thank you for having it made.”

Anna’s lips twitch into a small, disbelieving smile before quickly settling into a more neutral expression. “I didn’t have it made,” she says coolly. “I didn’t even know you would be here. Hans must have set this up. Lying is still one of his favorite hobbies and he likes to see what he can make people do.”

A stone drops in Elsa’s stomach and she stutters in her dance, almost missing a step.

Hans. It always comes back to Hans. He must have known she would only wear the dress if she thought Anna had something to do in its creation. Even after everything he had already done, he still got some amusement out of tricking Elsa.

“I want to help you,” Elsa blurts out. “I was a fool before, I know that now.” A shocked silence lays heavy between them after that announcement. Elsa swallows hard. Okay, so that’s not how she thought this would go. But she means the words, means them more than anything. The longer she had watched Anna tonight, the more she was sure of it; she really would choose Anna over anything or anyone else.

Elsa expects to see at least a small flicker of hope in Anna’s eyes at this, but instead Anna regards her with suspicion and actually cranes her neck away from her. “What is this?” she demands, going rigid in Elsa’s arms. “Did Hans put you up to this, to test my loyalty? I assure you, _Commodore_ ,” she spits out the word in contempt, “I’m completely loyal to my dear, handsome fiancé.”

There’s a sinking sensation in Elsa’s chest at the words. _She doesn’t trust me at all, and why should she?_ She speaks again, hoping to convey her sincerity. “I shouldn’t have let him take you. If I had known he was lying—”

“Then what?” Anna scoffs. “You were planning on leaving regardless, wiping your hands clean of me.”

“Yes, but things are different now—”

“No,” Anna cuts her off, voice hard. “You are the one who put me here. Just because you think you’ve finally found a shred of conscience doesn’t mean you can come here and _say_ these things—” she stops talking and Elsa sees tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes. “Just leave me alone.”

She wrenches out of Elsa’s hold and storms out of the ballroom, angrily stopping a guard when he attempts to follow her. Elsa releases a huff and takes off after her. She doesn’t know the layout of the castle and if Anna gets too far away, she may not be able to find her.

She exits the room just in time to see Anna round a corner near the end of the hallway. Impatient at her slow pace, she slips off her heels and chases after her. When she finally turns the corner, Anna isn’t in sight but she hears the sound of a heavy door closing. A distinctive _click_ of a lock turning soon follows.

Elsa skids to a stop in front of the door, face flushed. She knocks hard on the wood, though she knows the chances of Anna opening it are slim. “Anna,” she whispers, pressing both hands against the door. “Please listen to me.”

There’s no answer from the other side, but Elsa begins to talk quickly, not knowing how much time she has until a guard comes to look for Anna. “When I was nineteen, my father died. I had just started at the naval academy when he was killed by a pirate. My mother had disappeared years earlier and I might as well have been an orphan. But I pushed on, graduated at the top of my class. The only thing I wanted to do was capture pirates like the ones who took him away from me.”

Elsa thinks she hears something rustle behind the door. She barrels on relentlessly, “I was good at my job. Really good. But it was at the cost of my life. I have no friends, no one close to me that I can talk to and laugh with. For the longest time I thought I could live like that, thought I was _satisfied_ with having nothing but pirates to fill my mind.

“When I was given my orders to hunt you down, I thought it would be just another job. The only difference was the location. I hate the south, you know. Even after the time I spent there, I still can’t stand the heat. But…but then you caught me.”

The doorknob moves slightly but then stills. Elsa can picture one of Anna’s hands there, with her other one braced against the door as she listens. “You were so _different_ than any other pirate I had encountered. So carefree and full of easy smiles. The complete opposite of me, really. I was attracted to you, even if I didn’t want to admit it. When we first kissed, I should have known I was in over my head.”

“Elsa…” the voice, muffled by the wood, startles Elsa. But after that, there’s nothing but silence.

Once she catches her breath, Elsa goes on, feeling emboldened now that she knows she has Anna’s attention. “I was going to leave you in Swann Cove instead of capturing you. I knew you would probably hate me for that, but it was the only way I could think of that would keep you safe. But then Hans…oh, Anna. I was so _stupid_ to believe him. And even now I can’t stop thinking about you and what you’re going through. So no, I’m not saying these things because I want to test your loyalties. I’m saying them because I’m in lo—”

“Ah, there you are, Commodore. We were missing you at the party,” Hans says, only a few feet away from her. Elsa jerks away from the door, wondering how much he’s heard. “My, that really is a lovely dress.”

“Thank you,” Elsa answers hollowly. “I was just—”

“My darling Anna wouldn’t happen to be behind that door, would she?” he cuts her off smoothly. His eyes narrow slightly as he awaits her answer.

Elsa tries to think of something to say when the door opens. Anna steps out, smoothing the front of her dress down. “I was using the restroom,” she says to Hans, completely avoiding looking at Elsa. “Elsa must have been waiting for her turn.”

“Of course,” Hans smiles. “Then you wouldn’t mind going back to the party, would you? I have a few things I’d like to discuss with the commodore.”

“We can talk in here,” Elsa says suddenly. She pushes the door open further and takes a step close to Anna. When she’s about to pass her, Elsa whispers, “Wait for me. _I will fix this_.”

Anna stays frozen in place as Elsa and Hans enter the room behind her. Just as Hans is closing the door, Elsa thinks she sees Anna turn and look at her. But then the door is shut, leaving her alone with Hans.

“You know,” he says conversationally, slowly pacing around the room. “I didn’t want you to be here. You were never supposed to see Anna again. But when I announced this ball, I was pressured to invite Anna’s heroic rescuer. If you had been absent, it would have looked rather odd. And so here you are, trying to talk to her into doing who knows what.”

He turns on his heel and strides over to her, stopping only when they’re almost touching. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to invite you to our wedding. I can’t have you giving my dear princess any second thoughts before she walks down the aisle.”

Elsa stays stock still. “I accept your apology,” she says in an even tone. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for interrupting a royal wedding.”

His answering smile is all teeth. “I’m glad we understand each other. Now, would you like to go back to the party?”

“I think I will retire for the night,” Elsa says, already heading back towards the door. “I have to leave early tomorrow.”

“Of course. Then I wish you safe travels,” Hans says as he follows closely behind her.

Elsa nods tersely and throws open the door. The hallway is bereft of people and Elsa makes her way towards the exit, sensing that Hans is watching her closely.

Her breathing finally steadies when she’s outside the castle. Anger pulses through her, propelling her on towards her room at the inn. It’s only when she sits on her bed that she realizes she’s walked the whole way barefoot.

Thoughts begin to race through her head. Anna’s last look at her, Hans’ distrust of her, her last words to Anna.

 _I will fix this_.

The words were a promise, one she means to see through to the end. Of all the whispers she heard at the ball, one in particular stood out—the date of Hans and Anna’s wedding. The exact date was thrown around with such confidence and by so many people that it was practically guaranteed to be the truth. The location was still unknown, but she could find that out easily enough.

Still in her dress, she goes over to her small desk and begins to think of plans. She couldn’t do this alone and her own crew would rather strand themselves on an island than help her pull this off (except for perhaps Olaf, but she couldn’t bear to get him involved). No, she needs a crew who isn’t shy about skirting the law, who cares about Anna just as much as she does. She needs pirates.

Because Elsa has a princess to abduct.

 


End file.
